Wanting Rachel Berry
by taydortot
Summary: Noah Puckerman had a lot of problems. He lied, he stole, he got drunk a lot, but he wasn't an addict. Not until now. No one ever thought it could happen, but it did. Noah Puckerman was addicted to Rachel Berry. To bad she couldn't stand him. Rated for lemons and language, slightly OC sassy Rachel.
1. Damn that little pink bag

Noah Puckerman was in an extremely good mood at the moment. He and Santana had managed to stop insulting each other long enough to make out, and she was SOOO letting him get to second base.

They usually used the storage closet for their 2:30 makeout session, but it was being cleaned today. Just as Puck managed to unhook the strap with a small 'pop', and his hands started inching upwards, they were both greated with a squeal of suprise.

They both turned to find Rachel Fucking Berry, standing in the doorway of the empty classroom with her mouth hung open in obvious disgust. Her huge, liquid brown eyes, were staring at Puck in an accusing manner than made him seriously uncomfortable. He shouldn't feel guilty, shit, this was just Berry they were talking about.

Just Berry with her big brown eyes, and her long, soft looking, mahogany curls, and killer body, made of of soft lush curves and smooth angles, just Berry with- Wait! Why the Fuck was Noah Puckerman thinking about Berry's hair

"Puc- Santa- I don't-"

A couple of uncharachteristically inarticulate sounds escaped from the lips of Rachel Berry, that was, before she turned on her heels and ran from the classroom. Puck looked down, and realized with equal measured suprise and disgust, that one of his hands had been reaching out towards the tiny little jew. To do what? Stop her? Fuck that.

Puck sighed and removed his other hand out from under Santana's shirt, ignoring her latin cursing he was sure was directed at the girl who had just run from the room, and tiredly ran his rough, callused hands through the short tuft of hair that shapped the mohawk on top of his.

Santana huffed in frustration, reaching back to hook her bra-strap before exiting the room without even so much as a good bye.

Fuck it.

Nothing killed the mood like a nosy Rachel Berry.

* * *

It was safe to say that glee class was more awkard today than usual. Puck sat in his usual seat, right behind Berry, and she was acutely aware of his gaze on the top of her head.

Usually, Puck just zoned out when he wasn't performing and stared at Berry's ass, which was always perfectly fitted a myriad of pathetically tiny skirts.

But today he was antsy.

He didn't know why, because it wasn't like everbody didn't know about him and Santant. They were fuck buddies, so it shouldn't be a big deal. Then again, everything with Berry was a big deal.

But for some reason, this thing with Berry was getting under his skin, and Puck didn't like that. Not one bit.

Suprisingly, there was very little singing in class today, and Mr. Schu let them out early. It was probably because he wanted to go sit in Mrs. Pillsbury's office and pretend to need help with something even though the whole class knew they were head over heels for each other.

Today, just as usual, Puck was outta there the second the bell rang. He had made it out to his car when he realized that he had left his backpack in the choir room. With an impatient sigh, and something akin to a growl, Puck turned and jogged back into the, now almost empty, school.

Back to the choir room, he grabbed his bag, and noticed a small pink one sitting off to the side. The monogrammed bag was obviously some designer shit, with gold stars woven all over the front, and the pink material had the initials "R. B." sewn on the front with some fancy swirly letters, so he assummed it must be Rachels.

Puck briefly considered taking it home and bringing it to her the next day, and deciding it would be the right thing to do, he slung it over his shoulder with his own bad and began to walk towards the door, slower this time, thinking over what a good Jew he was being. After all, he was doing it because he and Rachel were the only two smokin hot Jews in school, they had to stick together. And maybe if he helped her with her bag, she wouldn't tell anyone what she had seen earlier that day and get him and San in trouble...again. (it wasn't exactly the first time they had been caught in an umm *mental cough* compromizing position)

As Puck exited the room, pink bag in tow, he ran right smack into one Rachel Berry. Ad would be expected, Puck's massive form carried much more momentum than her tiny frame, and she tilted backwards dangerously, arm's flailing in a very un-berry-like manner, as if she was about to fall, and Puck grabbed her shoulders to steady her, not counting on just how close that would bring her body to his.

Her eyes met his with righteous indignation.

"Noah Puckerman! What the heck are you doing with my bag?"

_Heck?_

The last time Puck had heard the word 'heck' he had been in 6th grade, ya know, before everyone had grown balls. But, if he had to pick one person at McKinley whose balls still hadn't dropped, it'd be Rachel Berry, despite all Santana's man-hand's comments. He quickly glanced down at her hands, surmising that they were nearly identical to his own in tone, both of them being Jewish and all, and noted that they were, in fact, quite small and petite.

Everything about her was small and petite actually, and he couldn't help but find it cute that she still couldn't (or wouldn't) cuss. Wait a minute! Did he just find something about Rachel Berry cute? He had to get out of here.

"You left it. I was gonna bring it to you tomorrow."

His voice was gruff, low, he was just trying to get out of here before God Forbid, he found something else about Rachel Berry _cute._

She huffed.

_Dammit, that was fucking cute._

Conceeding his point.

"Fine. Thank you Noah."

She held out her hand with an expectant look in her eye. How was it that when she said his real name, Noah, it didn't make his skin crawl with the unwanted familiarty that was caused when other girls he was fucking...or even just trying to fuck... would call him by it?

He decided that a little further investigation on this topic wouldn't be a bad idea...but he had to make sure she'd keep her mouth shut first, so he glanced down at her outstreched hand and upturned palm, then said,

"Nuh uh, hold on a second."

Her eyes tightened, and she was looking less friendly by the second, not that she and Noah were ever particularly friendly in the first place. So She asked,

"What do you want?"

He grinned lecherously, his first response that that particular question comming out of other mouths. Rachel, however, didn't take his bullshit. She raised one, perfectly manicured eyebrow with a look that was akin to amusement. He gave up.

"Ok fine. I want you not to tell anyone what you saw today."

She cocked her head to the side innocently, face purpously blank. Puck sighed. Was she really gonna make him spell it out for her?

One more look at her oh so innocent expression.

Yep, she was.

"About Santana and me making out...OK?"

She just flipped her hair and sighed, obviously happy to be back in charge of the situation...or so she thought.

"Of course Noah. It's none of my business if you want to waste your time getting in trouble and become a loser who does nothing with his life."

Her tone was flip. But Pucks fists were instantly clenched, and before Rachel could so much as blink, Puck had pushed her up against the side of a locker and was vehemently growling inches from her face.

"Listen good Berry."

His voice was a low, primal growl, that (when used in other situations) had the panty dropping power of Brad Pitt on a good day.

"The only reason I ever let Santana call me a loser was because we were fucking. You don't get that priviledge!"

He practically spit the words, and was beyond suprised to see that she wasn't cowering in fear, in fact, quite the opposite. Her liquid brown eyes were on fire, and practically seared him as she pushed foward, amber specks shooting out like the licks of flames. His hands were on her hips he realized, and the soft, lush, curves strained against his grip as she brought her face dangerously close to his, not realizing the effect she could have on his body by pressing against him exactly like she was.

"You listen to me Noah."

_Again with the Noah!_

"The reason Santana called you a loser is becuase all she knows you for is a sexual plaything."

He struggled to ignore just how fucking hot it was that Berry had just said the word sexual...and called him a plaything.

"I called you a loser because _I _see how much talent and passion you have. I see you sing in class, and it gives me goosebumps! But you don't even act like you care!"

Her voice was reaching that dangerous, high pitched midgit level that only Rachel Berry could exucute perfectly, and the words comming out of her mouth were so foreign that all Puck could do was stand still and listen...at least at the moment.

"She calls you a loser because she doesn't think you can do anything. And _I_ call you one because you could do _so much_, and you waste it all on being a rebel and protecting your badass image."

By now Puck and Rachel were both breathing heavily,but for very different reasons, and Puck didn't even try to ignore the fact that her soft breasts were pushed up against his chest. They distracted from the sharp sting of her words.

"You could be _anything_ you wanted Noah Puckerman, and you don't even try."

Rachel's dark chocolate, amber speckled eyes had reached their fiery peak, and her voice was nearly raw with the passion of the words she had held inside for so long. There was no denying the fact that she had felt dissapointed, and maybe even a little hurt, when she saw Puck and Santana earlier, because if she was being honest, she had foolishly expected more from him.

In that second, it was like someone had taken Puck's whole world and turned it inside out. 5 minutes ago, he would have looked at Rachel Berry and scoffed at the self obsessed drama queen who thought she was above everyone else. The righteous little ice princess who wouldn't even let him get to second base back when they dated for a week, but he had been totally, and completely, wrong.

The fiery, brown eyed, little spit fire in front of him wasn't Rachel Berry. She was someone completely different.

Before his brain recognized and approved of his body's action, Noah had already shoved Rachel back further against the locker, and descended upon those full, moist lips.

A small sound of suprise escaped her mouth, before Rachel relented to Puck's expert kissing tecnique. He didn't even bother with trying to coax her tongue out of her mouth, before he was already in hers. Licking, nipping, tasting, exploring.

This was nothing like their other kisses. She had been removed, distant. She had been imagining Finn. Right here and now, she couldn't have thought of another guy if she had tried. Much less the dopey gentle giant that acted as the football team's cliche'd quarterback.

Puck's hand roaved upwards, grazing her breast. Rachel moaned into his mouth. Her hands reached around him, scratching his back.

This was the number one, most erotic kiss Puck had ever experienced. Rachel seemed to be straining to reach his mouth, which made sense since she was so short. Puck reached down to her thigh and heard her soft moan, before hooking her legs around his hips and pressing her further back. Puck realized he had gone rock hard, and Rachel seemed to notice this about the same time as him.

She tried pulling back, but she was already pressed tightly up against the locker, legs around his waist, there was no escape. One of his hands held her face, fisted in her thick, silky, chestnut locks. The other was roaming continually from her hips, to her soft glorious ass, back up to her breast.

Suddenly, without much warning, her fist clipped him in the jaw as she bit down on his bottom lip.

He Roared with suprise, the painfully loud sound echoing off the walls and down the hallways of the not quite yet empty school, and startling more than one teacher left idling in their classrooms. He lunged back, unsteady on his feet.

Rachel probably would have fallen as well, due to her current weakened (yes by Puck's kisses) physical state, and general absense of mind, if it wasn't, however, for all those dance classes she had taken for years, honing her balance perfectly for her inevitable career in broadway.

They were about 3 feet apart now. Both staring at the other with eyes widened by shock. Puck raised his hand to his lip, and felt the warm, wet, liquid that told him she had broken skin. He knew he should be mad, but he looked over at her, with her tousled hair, red, swolen mouth, and anxious liquid eyes, and could feel nothing but an animalistic, possessive, attraction.

Before he could say anything, think anything, or even breath really, Rachel Berry was off, running down the hall at an impressive speed.

He looked down and saw the little pink bag still on the floor.

She had left that Damn Pink Bag.

He could give it to her tomorrow. Maybe he could talk to her then, ask her about what just happened. He wanted to see her again, wanted to touch her again, wanted to...

Oh shit! He wanted Rachel Berry.


	2. Mortal Combat and Ellipticals

**A/N **

**So, just so you know, all the alerts and reviews are FREAKIN AMAZING! I'm uploading an extra chapter today because of how great you guys are...and you know what...if I get 20 reviews by tonight (I know, probably won't happen...but you never know Then I'll upload an EXTRA LONG chapter, with some more Pucklberry action, and maybe even some Rachel on Puck violence tehe...I love yall**

Puck got home late that night due to the fact that he had just spent 3 hours playing Mortal Kombat at Finn's house. It wasn't as fun as it usually was, because Finn was dropping some not-so-subtle hints about the fact that he wished he wasn't stuck with pregnant Quinn. Puck was trying hard not to lose his temper considering that, for all Puck cared, Quinn could go to hell. But he would give his right arm for Quinn to let him in his baby's life.

This was made even worse by Finn's outright pining for Rachel Berry. How fucked up was that. Finn's girl was knocked up with his baby, and he wanted the girl that Puck had his eye on.

Wait! Did he just admit he had his eye on Rachel Berry? He was so fucked.

Either way, it just wasn't right. He pulled into his driveway and shut the loud engine of his truck off. He looked over at the passenger side and noticed a little pink bag wedged under the seat. He sighed, he was gonna have to talk to Berry tomorrow. It wasn't that he didn't want to talk to her, but he knew exactly what was gonna happen.

Rachel was gonna throw a bunch of big words at him, most of them insults that he didn't understand, and tell him about how much of a pig he was.

Oh well. He'd find out in the morning.

* * *

Rachel could not believe the events that had occured today. She panted heavily as she ran on her elipytical, and tried to block out memories of Puck's mouth on hers. When she had dated him, it hadn't felt that way. Sure, he was a great kisser, but she was so stuck on Finn, she had barely noticed.

The more time passed, the more she watched Finn with his pregnant girlfriend, she knew they could never be together. Finn was to good of a guy to leave a girl who was carrying his baby, and Rachel wasn't the type of girl that would make him. They were at a stale-mate.

But Puck, Noah, that was a completely diferent story. Not only was he single, but he appeared to have some attraction for her.

NO!

She shut that thought down. Puck had some attraction for anything that moved and had boobs, he meant nothing to her, and she probably meant less to him. Puck probably didn't view the kiss they shared this afternoon as anything, he wasn't like her, he didn't value relationships the same way she did.

She kicked her body into overdrive as she managed to squash any lingering doubts in her mind. Noah Puckerman was out of the picture. There was no way he could possibly be anything other that some older woman's boy toy.

She sighed as she realized she had left her bag in the hallway after her great escape from their kiss. Noah would probably have picked it up, and that meant that he was going to give it back to her tomorrow.

Oh well, she'd find out in the morning.

**Remember... REVIEW REVIEW REVIEW! for some lovely pucklberry goodness)**


	3. What the hell does she keep in that bag?

**A/N Ok, so I know I don't have 20 reviews yet, but I love my reviews and alerters so freakin much, that I wrote the LONGEST CHAPTER EVER lol, just for you guys. I hope you like it, and you have to remember to review at the end, it really does make me update faster. :) So without further ado... HERE IT IS ;)**

Rachel got ready super early today, in hopes that if she got to class earlier than everyone else, she would beat Puck and not have to talk to him. She couldn't stand the new development of emotions that sprung up when she saw him. It wasn't like she hadn't ever had boys like her, only, they were never boys like Puck. And usually, all the boys gave up within a few days after witnessing her intense personality.

Rachel knew what people said about her. That she was crazy. That she was a frigid career driven virgin.

That was mostly true. She was pretty crazy, and she knew that she was career driven, and she was _definitely_ a virgin. But she wasn't frigid, not by any means.

Rachel had so much fire in her that she burned people. She had trampled people to get to the top, at least in showbiz. She regretted the name that she had made for her self, but she wasn't giving up her dreams just to spare some silly high schooler's feelings. They had never cared about her.

Nearly every day since freshman year she had been slushied in the hallways. The first couple times were humiliating and not to mention freezing cold, but after she had learned to deal with it (and hide it from her overprotective dads), she felt like she had gained strength. It wasn't until much later that she realized that she had slowly started to build up walls that were nearly impenetrable.

Until yesterday.

For some reason, with all the Finn and Quinn and Glee club drama, her wall had formed a chip. By some unfortunate twist of fate, Noah Puckerman had managed to grab a hold of this chip, and yank it down, sending several important bricks of self protection to the metaphorical ground. Right now, Rachel still felt the gaping hole of vulnerability that she still hadn't managed to completely cover.

Her emotions were a tangled mix of nearly tangible panic. As she drove to school, the sting of sticky corn syrup in her eyes, the smell of cherry, or grape, the taste of Noah's lips, like tobacco and peppermint, these were all swirling her barely controlled senses into overdrive.

She pulled into the school parking lot, turned the engine off, and sat. Her knuckles turned white as she gripped the steering wheel with a force that would crack a lesser made vehicle. Her whole body was tensed in as effort to cap the unbidden emotions that threatened to overwhelm her. A sudden rap at the window caused her to jump so high that her head hit the top of her car.

She turned, dreading, hoping, expecting to see Puck. It was Finn.

"Hey Rachel."

His voice was muffled through the glass, she she motioned for him to move back and opened the door carefully, the faint throbbing in her head telling her that she had hit the ceiling pretty hard.

Finn was grinning his usual adorable smile, the one that make his eyes crinkle up and get all sparkly and-

_STOP IT RACHEL!_

She commanded herself.

"You ok?"

,Finn asked in a genuine voice.

"Yeah I-"

She started at how horse her voice was, blamed it on all the tears she had held back. Clearing her throat, she started again.

"I'm fine, I'm just exhausted."

Finn gave her a concerned look. She wished he wouldn't. Him caring just made it hurt worse.

"Maybe you should have stayed home."

She scoffed. He must be joking. She checked his face. Nope. Wasn't joking.

"Are you kidding? I have a perfect attendance record! There is no way I could stay home just because I don't feel well! How many stars do you think have to go out and perform with the flu or a cold, or on no sleep, what kind of-"

"Whoa! Whoa!"

Finn cut her off.

"I"m sorry ok? I didn't remember who I was talking to. Of course Rachel Berry wouldn't stay home from school. The show must go on right."

He looked like he thought that was clever. She was in no mood for this. But he was Finn, he didn't deserve her taking her frustration out on him, no one did. Actually, one person did, Noah Puckerman.

"Listen I'm sorry Finn, you're right, I am kind of under the weather today, but I can't talk right now."

She started to walk off.

"I have to get to class. I can't be late."

Finn caught her arm. She inhaled sharply, audibly, at the warm feel of his hand on her skin. He pulled back awkwardly.

"Class isn't for 20 minutes at least, my dad just had to drop me off early today, work thing he had to do."

She turned to see him rubbing the back of his neck uncomfortable. She fought the urge to reach out to him, she couldn't risk the connection.

"Umm, I have to be there early for something...extra credit...I'll see you in glee club."

Her words were hurried, she was scanning the parking lot, she didn't want to risk running into Noah- Puck! His name was Puck. She couldn't start calling him by his first name. Finn gave her a suspicious look. Actually, Finn couldn't look suspicious...It was more like clueless.

"Bye then...I guess."

She was already off walking towards the front doors. She thought that by avoiding her fears, they would disappear. But fate had decided a very different plan for the day than even realized, and in an ironic twist, it included showtunes.

* * *

Noah Puckerman was officially sure he was fucked.

He had actually gotten to school...EARLY!

This may be the first time in his entire high school career (and he was a senior!), that he had dragged his sorry ass to school on time...BEFORE TIME! And it was all because of Fucking Berry. Why did she have to punch him? He could have forgotten the whole thing if she had just...No, that wasn't true. It was the kiss too.

Puck had kissed dozens- no, scratch that- Hundereds of girls! And not one of them had tasted like Rachel Fucking Berry. Not one of them had moaned the was she did, not one of them knew that there was a little spot on the back of his neck that he LOVED to have rubbed. And not one of them had simultaneously bit, and punched, him afterwards.

This should be easy for him. He had used tons of girls, used them and then tossed them aside like trash, but for some reason, he couldn't force himself to think of Berry- no, Rachel that way. It was like she was _literally_ underneath his skin, he wanted to scratch at her, pick at her, pull her out. But he knew that doing that would harm him, tear him open, maybe irreparably.

He felt like such a pussy for having such strong feelings for a girl he hadn't given a second thought to before. Wait...that wasn't true either. He had thought about Berry before. Given it hadn't been exactly this way, romantically that is, but he _had_ thought about her. When he wasn't wishing she wore something other than sweaters over that perfect rack of hers, or huge socks on those luscious legs, he was drowning in her beautiful voice.

He would never _ever_ admit it to anyone other than himself, but he was jealous of Rachel Berry.

Him. Noah Puckerman. Badass galore, was jealous of show-tune singing, knee sock/sweater wearing, annoying, sexy ass Rachel Berry.

Sure she was intense, crazy would probably be a better word, but she had so much drive, so much passion, it practically spilled over the top of her beautiful brown head and flowed out through her mouth as she sang. She probably had more talent that the rest of the school combined and multiplied times 10. But she didn't even know what to do with it, and even worse, she thought that was all she was.

Puck sucked in a sharp breath as he realized that until yesterday, he thought that was all she was too. But standing there, holding her, kissing her, touching her, he had felt something other than her velvety skin and full moist lips, he had felt sadness. An almost unbearable sadness that filled up her inner self, while everyone else just shunned her because all they saw was the crazy, career obsessed, hot Jew with two gay dads.

She was just a girl, not even really a woman yet, a girl. She was a girl who had so much insecurity with her personality, that she covered it with her confidence in her talent. Even for her, it was impossible not to realize that she was something special. _Someone_ special.

Fate seemed to be pretty chummy with irony today, because as Puck walked towards his first class (what was it again, Biology- No, English...right?) He turned to unzip his backpack and grab a little pink bad out of the top. He hoped to catch Rachel before class and give it to her. Maybe talk a little first. Unfortunately, the 'catching' he would be doing, was a little to literal for his taste.

Without looking where he was going, Puck had his head turned to dig the little pink bag out of his back pack, he ran straight into one short, sticky, dripping wet little Jew.

Due to his big- Huge- Stature, his momentum knocked Rachel back like a weak branch in a strong wind.

"Ahh"

Her cry came out like a hoarse squeak, and Puck just barely managed to catch her by her shoulders before she toppled to the ground. He felt her small form wrench away fro her hands, in such a violent manner that it made him step back and take a second look.

His eyes widened, and he was aware that the little tick in his jaw that occured when he got angry was probably going off. He clenched his fists to counter balance his voice due to what he was seeing.

Tiny, angry, spunky, Rachel Berry, was standing before him in a tiny skirt (per her usual style), and a light white tee shirt, both of which were dyed an ugly green color. He noticed that her eyes were red and watering, and wondered if it was the slushie, or something else that had made her cry.

"Who the Fuck did this to you?"

His instant reaction startled both of them. Puck had probably seen Rachel like this a hundred times. More often than not, her state was due largely in part to him, so the confusing tangle of rage and fierce protection that welled up inside him made him pause. Maybe it had been the high pitched outraged spluttering, or the insults that he could never understand, that distracted him from her eyes before. But now, for the first time, he saw just how being slushied had made her feel all those years.

Small. Pitiful. Vulnerable.

His self loathing at that moment was like nothing he had ever felt before, he wasn't comfortable with it. She spoke before he could though. Her voice bitter and cold, much like the green apple slushie she was wearing at the moment.

"Why? Pissed off that you didn't get to do it yourself?"

Her biting remark stung, and a heated reply was at the tip of his tongue, when he realized where she was coming from, that she was completely within her rights to hate him, to be angry with him. But that didn't change the destructive itch that started in his palms and spread to his fingertips, he had to punch somebody, and soon.

"No, I'm Fucking pissed off because whoever did this to you is about to get the shit beaten out of them."

Rachel's eyes widened, softened, and for one moment, he wished he could lock that expression away in a box, and keep it for whenever he felt sad, or alone. Because in that expression, was all Puck had ever wanted anyone to say to him. But just as quickly as it was there, it was gone, and she was speaking again.

"I'm not going to have sex with you Noah."

Ok, that wasn't what he was expecting to her. The blank look on his face probably communicated the confusion he was feeling, so she explained.

"You don't have to pretend you give a rat's behind about me."

Puck was almost distracted from the content of her sharp worse by her fucking adorable expression, and her lack of ability to cuss, _almost_.

"That kiss was a mistake, and I'm sorry if you thought you were going to get in my pants, but I'm a virgin. And I'm not giving it up to some...some... promiscuous man that thinks sticking up for me one time...after bullying me for _**two**_** years**, is going to get him sex."**  
**

Puck was silent for a moment before saying.

"Man whore."

Rachel blinked...now she was the one wearing a blank expression.

Puck grinned.

"The word you were looking for was man whore."

A look of recognition flicked into her eyes, directly followed by anger. She let out a low, adorable growl, and grabbed the pink bag out of his hands before he could stop her. And before he even knew her intentions, she wacked him with it in the arm, and huffed, stomping back down the hallway, tiny skirt plastered to her ass by what appeared to be a red slushie.

Puck rubbed his arm woefully, what did she keep in that bag? Bricks? Before he could fully appreciate the view of her perfect ass through the thin skirt, he realized that she had been double slushied. And the mental image of two guys ganging up on his self-righteous, annoying, completely vulnerable little prima donna, had him striding down the hall with murder in his eyes.

Someone was gonna pay for this, and Puck didn't particularly care who.

**A/N Just so you guys know, reviewing REALLY DOES make me upload faster. I pinky swear on pucks life...mwha ha ha, so if you love Puck...and you want another update... REVIEW REVIEW REVIEW!**


	4. Listen up Tubby Lumpkins!

***PLEASE READ***

**A/N Hey guys :D So this is officially the longest chapter I've ever written ever lol, It's almost 3000 words without the authors note, and I want you to know that I'm completely serious when I say that reviews make me update faster, they make me write more and better, because I know I have a lovely audience like you to keep me going. :) So this is for all my reviewers **

**I'd like to give a special shoutout to the following reviewers (all of you :) **_Welshgleek, msn1988, aussiegleek18, fatima342, FrenchGirl, raiganb123, SoftballChicky15, Princesa Karlita411, helly318, liasonfan96706, tiff c, Aimee, anon_

**I'd also like to say that _Welshgleek was my first reviewer and you're AWESOME lol, and msn1988, and aussiegleek18 are my 2nd and 3rd, so it's my honor to give you this freakin long chapter so fast :) _**

**_Hereeeeee we go _**

Ok, so anyone who hadn't observed the previous scene would have thought that Noah Puckerman was completely, and totally, insane. He barreled down the hallway with fists clenched, and metaphorical steam comming out of his ears.

He was searching for that ass-wipe Karofsky and whoever the hell else was with him. He threw open the door to the guys locker room and charged straight towards the back.

Thank God he was still in his pants, Puck didn't think he could handle beating up somebody in their towel... *shudder*. Puck grabbed Karofsky by the shoulders and flipped him around, before throwing the offending jock up against the wall with Noah's arm pressed firmly to his neck.

"Dude...the fuck?"

Karofsky's voice was strained and hoarse, probably due to Puck's arm cutting off his windpipe.

Karofsky was bigger than most of the guys in this school, bigger than Finn even, but it was mostly fat. Puck was all muscle, and his stature rivlaled even this giants. Everyone in the locker room, including karofsky, knew just what a badass Puck was, and they all knew who would win in a fight.

Puck leaned in close, just close enough to be intimidating, not close enough to be gay. And growled roughly in his face.

"Listen up Tubby Lumpkins. I don't give a damn who the hell you slushie Karofsky, but you better stay the fuck away from Berry, or that tubby little face of yours is gonna pay for it."

Puck realized that it wasn't one of his best insults, but his mind was still clouded over with a red haze, and that caused a shortage of witty threats. The rest of the guys in the locker room had ceased whatever they were doing to stare. Josh, a newbi, piped up.

"Hey, what's the deal man? You've slushied that Berry chick more than any of us."

Puck had to restrain himself from going ape shit on the little fuck, but he had to admit, the boy did have a point.

"The _deal_ is, that I've decided that Rachel's _MY_ girl, and all of you guys know that we don't mess with each other's girls, nomatter if their on glee club or not."

The room was silent again before the pillsbury doughboy Puck had pressed up against the locker spoke up.

"What the fuck man?"

Puck's arm tightened instinctively, and Karofsky let out a little weaze that said he couldn't talk.

"Why...you and...Rachel Berry?"

He loosened his arm, just a fraction, and answered.

"Well you've all talked about how she's one of the hottest girls in this school right."

He waited for them to answer. They all murmured uncomfortably because at one point they had all talked about getting in Rachel Berry's pants, or rather, her skirt. And they had speculated that she was probably a freak in bed, considering that it was always the quiet little virgins that let loose the best. Before, Puck had just laughted and made lewd comments, but now, the idea of anyone talking about Rachel that way other than him, made his fists clench.

"Yeah I guess."

It was Josh that answered.

"Well I guess you have your reason."

The tension in the room seemed to relax, and the usual locker room buzz started up again. It was a good thing these jocks didn't require any other reason to date someone than the fact that they were hot. Puck turned back to Karofsky.

"Do you understand what I told you?"

His voice was low, menacing, and he knew he made one fucking scary sight.

Karofsky's face was turning blue, but he managed to nod weakly before Puck released him, crumpling to the ground with loud, hacking coughs, holding his throat protectively.

Ha, what a pussy. Now to find Rachel Berry.

* * *

Rachel was staring intently at the board in AP English, as they discussed the metaphors used by Shakespeare, but her mind was actually miles away.

She had managed to change into her extra clothes, but they weren't her usual style. It was her skirt as usual, but the other shirt she carried in the back of her locker had been laying on top of some careless school go-er who stuck their gum in the back of the locker.

She had tried to no avail of removing it, and decided it was a lost cause. Considering that she had no female friends at this school, she had managed to pull Finn aside, and he had given her a spare jersy that he kept in his locker.

She realized with dismay that she couldn't wear it down, because it hung lower than her skirt, and caused the illusion that she wore no pants. She sighed unhappily, the size of last years black skirt made that almost the case.

She was definitely most displeased with the fact that she looked like a cheerleader, in a short black skirt, and Finn's old jersey, but it was definitely better than a sticky, stained, green apple ensemble.

When the bell rang, Rachel was too lost in her own thoughts to notice, it wasn't until some anxious student rammed into her shoulder on their way out, that Rachel realized that class was over.

She quickly packed up her stuff and exited out into the flow of the crowded hallway. She wove quickly in and out of the mass of slow moving students, carefull to avoid any forms with the tell talk varsity jacket, that told her a slushie awaited her. It wouldn't be the first, or the last time, she had been double slushied in one day. But she really didn't have any more clothes to wear if these ones got ruined with the sticky neon corn syrup.

There was only 2 more periods until glee club, only two more period until she had to see Noah. She didn't know if she could do it. As it was, her stomach already clenched in a not entirely unpleasent way whenever she saw his large bronzed form, or smelled his distinct smell of peppermint and tobacco. She didn't like how her body reacted to him, it made it even harder for her to convince her mind that Noah Puckerman wanted nothing to do with her.

No, scratch that, he wanted to do with her, but not the kind of things she was interested in.

Rachel wasn't like other girls, didn't want the same things, not just in her career, but in her personal life too. She wanted to be wooed, she wished for the days when a man would take a woman to the opera, would compliment her endlessly, would sweep her off her feet, and still have the restraint to respect his ladie's wishes. What it came down to, when all the frills came off, was Respect.

Rachel wanted Puck- Noah...Any boy to respect her. Not just as a ridiclously talented performer, (which she was) but as a girl that he wanted to take care of. That was why Noah's reaction to seeing her covered in slushie this morning was so emotionally tormenting. Noah had responded in the manner which all men should respond when they see a lady in distress. Not to laugh at her, but to defend her and protect her.

Rachel sighed as she settled into Trig, this was going to be a short class, then she had art afterwards, all of this before she had to face Noah again.

It wasn't near enough time to fill up the chink in her armor, but she would sure as hell try.

* * *

Puck walked in the door to glee club just as the bell rang. The rest of the class was already there, singing, laughing, chatting among themselves. Quinn was pissed off at Finn today because he still couldn't find a job, and doctor bills were starting to pile up, Noah knew this because he had been spying on their relationship, trying to get an in, trying to break them up so he could have the right to be father to his child.

But now, because of all that had happened with Rachel, Puck didn't know what he wanted. Well actually, he did. He wanted Berry, He wanted her bad, but he wasn't sure in what capacity.

Before he could dwell on this thought too long, his eyes met hers. Her deep brown eyes were already resting on him, and he noted that, while he had dark mossy green eyes with flecks of golden brown in them, Rachel had eyes so dark that her pupils were nearly non-existant, the only thing that gave them away, was the ring on golden amber flecks that lines them, flecks that flared out when she was angry or lusty, giving the illusion that they were on fire.

Puck felt a familiar, albiet slight, tightening in his jeans.

NO. Fucking. Way.

Noah Puckerman had just started to get a hard on by just thinking about a girls eyes. His eyes took in the rest of her body and it didn't help his current state. She was wearing an ungodly short skirt, along with a worn thin football jersey.

_Well fuck me side ways- Wait! It that FINNS JERSEY?_

Noah felt his insides clench in a way that was becomming familiar to him, and the metallic taste of jealousy that sprang up on his tongue told him that he was not ok with this, not ok at all.

He was already striding towards Rachel, from across the choir room, and several of the students had already ceased their conversations to watch the interesting interaction between their resident badass, and their annoying, uptight, bossy star singer.

Noah stopped directly in front on Rachel's chair, almost uncomfortably close to her, and took no small measure of pleasure in looking down at the soft blush that spread across her golden brown skin. She hadn't been exactly the blushing maid yesterday, and a ferel grin parted his lips at the thought. All of this lust was tapered down though, when he remembered what she was wearing and why he had come over here.

"Rachel."

He was aware he was using his cougar voice. The one that dripped with sex. He had been told it was impossible to resist, he hope that was true.

"Yes Noah?"

Hearing his name in Rachel's silky high pitched voice almost distracted him from his anger at her apperal, _almost_.

"What are you wearing?"

She glanced down, blushing. Her reply was stuttered.

"I-I know the skirt is not exactly modest, and I'm sorry if that gives you the wrong impression, but it's the only spare-"

He cut her off.

"Trust me babe, it's not the skirt, I'm fine with the skirt, I LOVE the skirt."

He chuckled lowly, as her blush intensified to a dark rose color.

"I want to know why you're wearing _Finn's_ Jersey?"

He practically spit his friends name with contempt. It wasn't that he didn't like Finn, he was just getting sick of his best friend and Berry flirting when they both knew that he was never gonna pick her over Quinn.

Rachel stood up with righteous indignation, and her eyes lit up, starting to smolder with the first licks of a wildfire.

"I don't think that's any of your business Noah Puckerman! After all, most of the time you are responsible for the necessity of me having to change clothes, and today, _Finn_ was gracious enough to lend me something of his so I didn't have to call my dad's to bring me somthing. Something I can't say for you."

That last bit was mumbled under her breath, probably not meant for Pucks hearing, but he heard it nontheless. He also didn't like the way she said Finn's name, like he was some sort of God or Saint that deserved her praise. It wasn't right for her to say Finn's name like that right after saying his.

"I would have given you the shirt off my back if you had asked for it."

His voice was lowered this time, but intense, and he was aware that the entire glee club was now staring at Raachel and him, drinking in every word of this wonderfully juicy conversation.

"Well I didn't ask Noah."

Her voice was soft, quiet, he almost had to strain just to hear her. But he did hear her, and he almost wished he hadn't.

As usual, like with every thing else in his life, Finn had gotten there first.

Right at that moment, Mr. Schu entered the room, talking loudly, and began to write something on the board.

Rachel sat down in her seat, looking straight ahead, but her eyes seemed to sparkle a bit to much, and he thought he saw a suspicious wetness there. She had pulled her bottom lip into her mouth, and when she released it, there was a tiny drop of blood on the edge. Her tongue darted out and caught it.

She was obviously as emotionally distressed as he was, she was just better at keeping them inside, he wondered how much practice she'd had, what else she had hidden from them, from him, not that he, or any of them, had ever asked before.

"Puck."

Mr. Schu's voice rang out. Puck turned to see Mr. Schu watching him expectantly.

"Are you gonna take a seat?"

Puck nodded.

"Sure thing Mr. Schu"

A few moments later, after writing something on the board, Mr. Schu turned and pointed at the point.

"This is your assignment for this week kids."

Puck read the board. In big red letters, the board read.

**EMOTION**

Puck smirked, and knew he looked quite the devil. This assigment couldn't have been more perfect. He looked down to see Rachel shifting in the seat in front of him uncomfortably. Her hands were clasped together behind her seat and she wrung them nervously.

Rachel Berry...Nervous?

Something was definitely wrong here. Her head turned slowly to meet his eyes, and he noticed that one lone tear had escape her beautiful eyes. He reached out to wipe it away with the pad of his thumb, but she had already turned back towards the front.

Instead, Puck reached foward and caught one of her hands. She tried to subtly retrieve it, but he held it in a grip as firm as it was gentle.

Her small, brown, hand was clasped into a tight fist that caused her knuckle bones push against the skin, turning it white. He gently began to loosen her fingers, running his own fingers through the cracks and over the lines of her soft hand. He grinned, feeling mischiveous, and pushed his finger into the center of her fist gently.

She sucked in a soft breath that only Noah seemed to catch, and her hand loosened of it's own accord. He pressed his thumb into her palm and them laid his own hand against hers. He was never more grateful for the fact that he and Rachel sat on the very end of their respective rows, she right in front of him, and his backpack his both their hands from view.

He continued to caress and massage the one hand, before allowing it to fall, he heard her small puff of dissapointment, but he just grinned and picked up the other and repeated the process.

By the end of class, Rachel was noticeably more relaxed, and even though she didn't speak to him before she left, she turned and gave him a gentle smile.

Puck felt like the breath had been knocked out of his body. Because in that smile, that soft, little girl, innocent smile, he had realized something.

She had never looked at Finn that way, not ever.

Puck threw a fist pump into the air as he exited the classroom. He couldn't help sending Finn a smug grin as he exited.

Things might finally be turning around for Noah Puckerman.

**!*PLEASE READ IMPORTANT*!  
Once again, I FREAKIN LOVE YOU ALL :) haha and I am willing to write one shots for any of the reviewers mentioned above that send me a P.M. message , In fact, I'd love too! :) So remember, REVIEW REVIEW REVIEW! Because I think I might be able to write...i dunno :) a 4000 word chapter maybe ?:) tehe **


	5. It had to choose her!

**A/N Hey you guys :D So this chapter is officlially 4000 words :O OMG lol, longest chapter I've EVER written, and it all for yall, because you are the awesomes reviewers ever. I want you to know that The more reviews I get, the longer I want to make the chapter, I'm not just bullshitting you when I say that. Well, I'm done telling you how awesome you are (you already know that) :P but really, I'm done, here's the chapter. **

Rachel scrolled frantically through her 2nd ipod looking for the perfect song to fit this emotions assignment. She had three ipods, and they contained just about every song that had ever existed. So the idea that she couldn't find a song was as impossible and foreign to her as the idea of her not getting a solo. She heard a loud knocking at her door and heard daddy's voice.

"Hey honey, can I come in."

She sighed and rolled over on her bed.

"Sure daddy."

Her door opened slowly and daddy's dark bald head poked through the door.

"Just making sure you're not naked."

He was grinning even though his eyes were closed. She sqeaked and giggled as she said.

"Yes daddy, because I come home from school and lay on my bed naked while I look through my ipod."

They both laughed, and he entered her room completely. Closing the door behind him, he walked over and sat on her bed.

"Getting ready for a project in glee baby?"

Rachel nodded, eyes still on the little pink rectangle.

"I have to find a song that perfectly expresses my emotions."

Her dad barked out a laugh.

"Well that should be easy enough for you."

Rachel snorted a little, then she caught herself, stars didn't snort.

"What?"

Her dad asked. Rachel was the most focused, self assured, talented daughter any father could dream of. She replied slowly, cautiously.

"Well, my emotions and I aren't exactly on good terms right now."

Daddy's eyebrows raised.

"Explain?"

She sighed and flipped back onto her back. She let the ipod drop on her pink sweater over her stomach. She raised her hands and covered her face with them, letting out a small huff of frustration.

"Daddy?"

He liked the fact that even though she was sixteen, she was still a little girl, His and James's little girl.

"Yes sweetie?"

"What was your first kiss like?"

He froze, unsure how to answer the question.

"What do you mean baby?"

She uncovered her face and looked up at him expectantly.

"You know, what was it like the first time you kissed somebody, somebody not in your family."

He thought back to freshman year, all the peer pressure and bullying, and that was before he even came out of the closet.

"Well, honey, when I was a freshman in high school, I still hadn't come out of the closet, but people were starting to suspect something was up with me. I was only friends with girls, and I acted more like them than the guys. They were starting to call me...names."

He wasn't going to cause his daughter pain for him by telling her the extent of the bullying, she didn't need to know that.

"What did you do about it daddy?"

Rachel was getting really curious, Adam Berry sighed.

"Well, honey, I started dating a girl."

He heard Rachel's gasp, and even though he wasn't looking at her fice right at the moment, he knew her big brown eyes were probably wide with shock.

"But dad you're gay."

Adam laughed then, despite his slightly more feminine voice, his laugh was full throated and deep. When he looked back down at her, her face was wearing a cute, confused expression.

"Yes honey, I know I'm gay."

He sighed.

"But I didn't want my classmates to know that, I didn't want the people around me to know, not yet. So, I dated one of my friends sisters, Tori, her name was."

He thought back on Tori, on freshman year, on one of his biggest regrets.

"After a while, she knew something wasn't right too. She finally confronted me about it, asked me why I never kissed her or touched her, at least not in a romantic way. She demanded that I kiss her, to prove to her that I wanted to go out with her."

Rachel was staring up at him wide eyed with an expectant expression.

"I did, it was the first time I had ever kissed anyone."

She looked disappointed, like she wanted more details.

"What was it like?"

Adam smirked.

"It was like kissing a sister that I didn't like...only she tried to shove her tongue in my mouth."

Rachel and her father shuddered simultaneously. They they both laughed. Then, Rachel asked.

"What was your first real kiss like...with...with a boy?"

Adam cleared his throat, the memory was forever branded on his heart.

"It was with your daddy James."

Rachel smiled them, hey eyes lighting up.

"Really?"

Adam nodded.

"Yes, we were in college together, I was out, but James had been out much longer, since middle school."

Rachel knew this of course. But she loved to hear the story anyways.

"He just walked up to me in the caffeteria and said. 'Finally, a gay man I'm interested in. You wanna go out?' I agreed, of course. After our first date, we got coffee, and he kissed me right there, in front of everyone."

Adam got a dreamy, faraway look in his eye.

"I would have been so scared to do that, but your dad, he knew just what he wanted."

Rachel's voice was soft now, a pretty unusual phenomena for her.

"He wanted you."

Adam looked back down at his daughter.

"Yes he did...Honey, where is all this coming from."

Rachel's face turned bright red. Oh, struck a nerve did he. He pushed as her shoulder.

"Is this about a boy?"

His tone was suggestive, his grin widened. Their focused little star in the making had boy problems.

"Is it that Finn boy."

Her head snapped over towards him.

"No."

The word was definite. He sighed, he was really gonna have to pull this out of her.

"His best friend."

Her voice was nearly inaudible, and she had turned her face into a pillow. Adam's eye brows rose.

"Well that was fast."

There was no censure in his tone. But she turned back to him with an angry expression.

"Well so was Finn knocking up his girlfriend."

Her tone was sharp, and she blushed when she realized what she had said, and how, and her hand came up over her mouth. Adam's mouth dropped open to match his raised eyebrows.

"Wha- How old are they."

She took a moment to reply, it was a pregnant pause. When she did reply her voice was flat.

"They're both my age."

They were both quiet after that. Two sixteen year old parents...that was just crazy. After some time, Adam said.

"And how do you feel about this?"

Rachel Shrugged.

"Well I don't like it obviously. But It's not my situation to feel anything about."

_Damn right it's not your situation_

"But don't you-"

She cut him off.

"I don't wanna talk about this anymore."

Ok Ok, Adam could take a hint.

"Sooo, this best friend?"

She sighed, her face softening.

" I don't know, lately he's been..well, very attentive lately, and we, well we..."

"Kissed?"

Adam filled in for her. She blushed again. He had second thoughts...what if they did more...

"You did just kiss right?"

She gasped and smacked his arm.

"Daddy!"

He laughed.

"Just checkin, just checkin."

She placed her chin on her hands.

"I don't know, I just don't even know what to think of him."

"What does he look like?"

Now it was Rachel's turn to get all stary eyed.

"Well, he's Jewish."

Adam's eyebrows went back up.

"Good for you."

She grinned and continued.

"Really tan, big-huge really, and muscular."

Adam laughed.

"I'm jealous."

She kept describing him, ignoring her dad's failed attempt at a quip.

"His hair's the same color as mine, but his eyes are dark green, like a pond with little brown stones in it-"

She cut herself off. Here she was describing Puck like he was her boyfriend and not some hoodlum that just wanted to get in her pants.

Adam prodded her to keep going, but she just shook her head.

"He has a mohawk. That's about all there is."

Adam was beginning to have second thoughts about this boy. Was he good enough for His and James's Rachel.

"Daddy?"

Her voice was soft again.

"Yes sweetie?"

"I think I want to take a nap, can you go and close the door behind you."

Adam wasn't hurt by the request, he knew she needed to think, so did he, strategy to find out more about this Jewish, mystery, mohawk boy.

He obliged her and rolled off her bed, heading towards the door. Right before he closed the door, he asked.

"Rachel?"

"yes daddy?"

"What's this boy's name."

She hesitated a moment, then said quietly.

"Noah, Noah Puckerman."

The door closed softly and Rachel pulled the full covers of her bed down. She couldn't help it, she had tried, tried to hate him, to ignore him, but it had happened.

Puck had become Noah.

* * *

Puck was late for school today. He had tried the early thing yesterday, it hadn't gotten him very far. He had managed to walk by Rachel's class this morning though. She appeared to be wearing her own clothes, without any signs of being slushied. She hadn't seen him glance in through the window.

Classes passed slowly today, or rather, skippink classes passed slowly. This was the norm for Puck usually, although he suspected the fact that he wanted glee club to come so badly had something to do with it

He felt a buzzing in his pants, and not the good kind. He looked down to see that his phone was vibrating. This was study hall, no one cared. He pulled it out and read the tiny black words on the screen.

_What's up w u & R. B.  
__~Q_

He sighed. Why did Quinn insist on sticking her nose in his business when she wouldn't even let him be a father to his kid. He texted back

_None of ur busnes  
~P  
_

A few minutes later the phone buzzed again.

_Ur spawn is in my stomach, so ya, it is my busnes  
~Q_

Puck began to grow frusterated, and texted back quicker this time.

_U wont even admit i'm the father, so u cant do anything about it  
~P_

The text back took a bit longer this time. When he read it, he growled audibly and texted back furiously.

_I could let rachel in on ur little secret, she probably wouldn't want my baby daddy. No one wants a lima loser.  
~P_

His large, callused fingers pounded over the tiny keys violently. He had to use the backspace button quite a few times to fix his mistakes.

_Ur rite Quinn, no 1 wants a lima loser, and ur gonna be one. if u tell rachel, finn will find out, and then neither of us will want u. No guy in skool wants a chick whos knocked up with some other dudes baby. So sure, tell rachel, it'll ruin ur life more than mine.  
~P_

Puck regretted his text it the second he hit send, but he couldn't take it back. He couldn't take any of it back. Quinn took so long to text back, that he thought she wouldn't, but one eventually came. He looked down at the glowing screen and read the short message with apprehension.

_Fuck u Puck_.  
~Q

For some reason, more than any of the horrible things she had said to him, this ticked him off more than the rest. She called him Puck. He realized that he had been thinking of himself as Noah. Probably...no, Definitely because of Rachel and her tendancy to use his whole name. This last little burst of anger allowed him to finish their text conversation.

_To late, you already did mommy  
~P  
_

Just then the bell rang, and it was time for glee club. This should be interesting.

* * *

This glee room was it's usual buzz of excited energy. Rachel was even joining in today, for the first time since all the drama with Puck started. She had come to the conclusion that she was imagining things that weren't there. For example: compassion, caring, sympathy.

All these from Noah. He couldn't _possibly _care about her. She was, after all, _'Crazy Berry'_. Heck, he was the one that invented that nickname for her. And at certain times, it was an accurate description.

Not today however, today, her sanity had returned. Her small moment of insanity, of thinking that a boy like Noah could care for her, it was over. She was focused completely on her music, on her career. She didn't perform her song this week however. It was Mercedes first, then Kurt, Finn, Quinn, Artie, and Tina. And Her, Brittney, Santana, Puck, and Mike, performed next week.

When Puck entered the Glee room, she heard Finn greet him. She refused to look at his approaching form. So she sat quietly pretending to be completely absorbed at picking at a loose cuticle.

His shadow fell on her as he passed by her, moving around her chair, and finally sitting down behind her with a loud screech of the chairs legs, and she realized he had scooted his chair closer to hers, probably in an effort to recreate the intimate scenaio of the last clasped her hands together tightly in her lap, lest a repeat of yesterday occur.

She shuddered in rememberance of the sensations of the previous class. The feel on Noah's warm, callused fingers, pressing through the soft flesh of her clenched hand. The tender massage he gave that seemed to run from the palms of her hands throughout her whole body.

There seemed to be a pulsing electric hum betwen their two bodies, and when left without an outlet for too long, it had a tendancy to explode in some sort of physical expression of their mutual desperation. Both of them seemed both sucked it and repulsed by the other.

Neither of them accepted for theirselves, neither willing to risk rejection, neither of them ready to reject the other. It was like the constant, undulating, magnetic pull of the moon and the tides. Essential for life, but if thrown off kilter, terribly dangerous and destructive for everything around them.

She suddenly shuddered, and her head whipped around as she felt Noah's hot, moist, breath on the back on her neck. She regretted it immedietly, because it brought them face to face, noses almost touching.

"Hi darlin'"

Noah's voice was low, husky. The endearment on his tongue caused Rachel to shudder again, this time in a decidedly more pleasant manner. Rachel wanted to grab the back of his neck and kiss the breath out of him. She wanted to lick and taste and feel him, wanted him to so the same to her. She suddenly felt a wave of shame and self loathing at her connection, her desire for a boy that didn't even respect her. A boy that would only break her heart.

She pulled back, and knew she didn't miss the flash of anger and dissapointment in his dark green eyes.

"Hello Noah."

Her tone was clipped, formal, Noah's scowl deepened.

"What's with all the formality?"

She glanced around, glad that the others were to predisposed to watch them, then said in her same detached tone.

"There's no reason for us to be informal Noah."

His expression was muderous, and it was confusing Rachel. She started to turn, when his hand caught her chin, and he growled out lowly.

"I guess I'll have to give you a reason then."

He released her chin, and sat back in his chair roughly. Just then Mr. Schuester entered the room and called Mercedes to the front.

Rachel tried to focus on Mercedes wonderful rendition of Christina Aguliara's 'Hurt', but the entire time, she could feel Pucks eyes scalding a hole in the back of her scull. She supposed her little green ribbon didn't provide much protection from those types of things.

And for the first time, Glee club flew by way to fast.

After the last song had been sung and Mr. Schu had dismissed then, Rachel tried to escape out the door with the rest of the group, she fell behind though, due to a large hand clamped firmly around her arm.

She was spun around, nearly running into Noah's chest, this was beginning to become a habit for her, and it caused her quite a bit of embarassment. She looked up into Noah's face, ready to chew into him about his behavior when his expression stopped her. It showed none of his usual good humor, quite the opposite in fact.

His eyes were a smoldering silver green with little gold flecks, and a tiny vein twitched in his chiseled jaw. His muscles were clenched, and he seemed to be entirely focused on her face, as if it was the only thing in existance at this time.

Little did Rachel know. In Puck's mind, right then, It was.

Puck bent down achingly slow, and brought his large hands up to cup Rachel's face, reveling in the soft, velvety texture underneath his fingers . Rachel was shaking so hard that she had unknowingly gripped Puck's wrists.

A tiny smirk played at the edges of his lips. She really had no idea how beautiful she was did she? She stood beside girls like Quinn and felt inadequate, he knew this because she had mentioned it several times during the short period that they were dating, and it bothered him more than her cared to admit.

Now, their lips were so close that the slightest movement would cause them to brush together. Puck exhaled at the exact same moment that Rachel sucked in a breath. She analyzed the taste through her lust hazed brain, and realized what was different. It tasted like cigarette smoke, and spearimint. Wait! Spearimint? He had always tasted like peppermint.

She opened her mouth to tell him this, and just as he had predicted, her lower lip brushed at his mouth softly, and just as soon as they touched, he caught it it between his lips with a low growl, and began to suck on it, slipping his tongue into her mouth.

She squeaked in suprise and started to pull away, but he trapped her between his teeth, applying gentle pressure to keep her trapped in his arms. She probably didn't realize that as they kissed, his arms wound their way around her, one on her waist, the other was firmly burried her hair and it's hand was gently gripping her neck. Noah himself didn't even know what his body was doing to hers, it was as if he wasn't in control of himself.

But in this case, for once, Noah's body knew best. Once he was sure that her resistance had dissipated, he brought his head down to her neck, placing soft, open mouthed kisses along her pressure points and veins. She practically mewled into his neck, where her head was now resting. Her hands were doing that thing again. Pressing against that sentitive spot on the back of his neck, Noah Felt like he was about to explode.

"Rachel."

He breathed out her name against her. It was as soft as a prayer coming off of his lips. Almost as if he was saying her name just to feel it in his mouth, on his tongue, feeling her name as it left his lips and rested on her neck, directly behind her ear, pressing against that spot that made her moan for him.

Her whole body stiffened, and he tensed, halfway expecting to be punched again. His arms tightened instinctively, then loosened to make room for her to bend back, allowing him to see her face.

Her whole body had started shaking again. That became tremors that gave way to silent sobs. Noah watched in horror, as her liquid eyes filled with hot tears that spilled over the edges in quick succession. The fiery amber specks were nearly invisible now as the pools of brown/black overflowed with her tears.

"Wha- What did I do, was it-"

She cut him off, her voice pausing with barely controlled sobs.

"Noah I I-"

She wrenched himself from his grip, this time, he was smart enough to let go so she didn't accidentally hurt herself. He was frantic with confusion and concern, what had he done to evoke this reaction from her?

"I can't- I just can't do this."

She was walking backwards now, nearly tripping over her own feet as she choked on the words that came from her throat, sounding suprisingly hoarse for a girl who could belt her heart out on a dime. He started towards her, but she threw out her hand in a motion that said 'stay away'.

" No! just don't- I'm sorry Noah, I'm so sorry."

She spun around, and then she was gone ,running haphazardly through the now, nearly empty, halls of the school. Puck stood in stunned silence as feelings of intense longing and dread filled his stomach, and he listened to the halted, eratic, clacks of Rachel's shoes on the hard school floor and the jerky sobs that escaped her throat, despite her effort to hold them down in her chest where they belonged.

It was right then, in that moment, that Noah Puckerman realized his emotions and desires had far surpassed just lust and want, and waded into new, previously uncharted territories that involved his heart. And not just the little brain in his blue jeans.

His heart had never hurt this much since his dad left him and his mom. It had been laying back, enjoying the ride, as Puck took his fill of carnal enjoyment from any and every girl at the school who was willing, and most of the neighborhood moms. It had stayed mostly silent, not caring about the affairs of Puck's promiscuous nature or any of the brainless creatures that he chose to take his pleasure with. But now, Noah's heart hadn't been able to just lay back, it hadn't been able to keep quiet. His heart had made a choice, an irrevocable decision that couldn't be erased after it had been acted upon.

His heart had chosen Rachel Berry.

**Heyyy :) So I hope you guys like this, and appreciate the length haha. But I just wanted to say That although I LOVE all the reviwers and alerters, I would REALLY appreciate it if some of the... i dunno 200 ALERTERS would review at least once...please...for me *puppy dog eyes* lol, and even though you can't see me, I can assure you my puppy dog eyes are fucking adorble...ok ok I'm done now, but if I get up to 50 reviews ( i know, it's not likely) I'll make the next chapter extra long and juicy...hmmmm ;) so REVIEW REVIEW REVEIW! **


	6. Puck gets TOLD

**A/N So I feel bad it's taken me so long to update, I was really hoping for 50 reviews, but I understand why we're not there yet. I wrote this chapter over a period of 4 days, and I didn't spell check it as well as I usually do, so I hope you like it anyways. It's been one of the hardest to write. Hereeee ya go :)**

Puck laid back on his bed, wondering when he had become such a pussy. This week was spring break, and instead of spending it how he usually did: by taking off with a group of friends and a shit load of alchohol to the closest beach, he had stayed home to moon over Rachel Berry.

He didn't regret the decision, because just the idea of spending spring break with a group of whores and douche bags wasn't even the least bit appealing. But Puck was beginning to realize just how deep he was in this emotional shit.

After he had come to terms with the fact that he had fallen for Rachel Berry, things had become quite clear in his mind.

She. Was His.

Finn Hudson be damned! She didn't belong to him. Quin did, and she just so happened to be carrying puck's unborn child in her stomach, so why did Finn insist on pining over Rachel. The not-so-subtle glances that they had exchanged in glee club had not served to lessen Puck's anxiety, and it led him to wondering in they had ever kissed. His whole body tensed as he pondered this extremely unpleasant idea. He remembered the wistfull expressions on both their faces and knew it had to be true.

Just before he got lost in self pity, wondering why Finn always got the girl, he remembered that he had kissed her last, and probably better than Finn could even dream of kissing a girl. Just thinking of their kiss had Puck instantly turned on, and he wondered for the ump-teenth time why it had had such as effect on him. She definitely wasn't the most experienced kisser. A thought that brought a smug smile to Puck's lips. She probably hadn't kissed 3 guys in her whole life.

But even that thought, which should have brought him no small measure of relief, only served to make his fists clench into tense balls of muscle and bone at his side as he thought of Finn. Fucking Finn! Because just the idea of His Girl kissing any other guy had a hot angry feeling stirring inside of him. Much less a dolt like Finn.

He wondered if he would end up beating up Finn for this. He concluded that he probably would if Finn didn't keep his hands to himself. But this thought made Noah sick to his stomach, the idea of beating up the guy that had been his friend since practically birth.

Then, an image of Finn and Rachel locked in an embrace ran through his mind and he knew that he could. He would do anything for her. Now, the only thing left was to make her so completely in love with him, that she wouldn't object if he claimed her as his girl for all the school to know.

That was it! Noah could use this week as a stratagy planning week to figure out how to make Rachel fall for him.

* * *

Rachel had spent every spring break the same way for the last 5 years. She had used it to do her much enjoyed self improvement week. First she would buy her new summer clothes before going to the spa and getting every surfact of her body rubbed, painted, buffed, massaged, trimmed, and whitened.

Her dad's were fully supportive of her 'self pampering' and were glad she took the time to take care of herself. But this year things were different. She didn't know what she wanted to do. Her mind was filled with thoughts of Noah, his smile, his large, solid form, his dimples, his lips, his tongue, his hands on her- Enough!

This couldn't go on. She couldn't spend a week laing around pining over a boy that was probably out getting wasted and laid as she did nothing. Just the thought was enough to evoke a sharp pain in the pit of her stomach.

No. She wasn't going to let Noah do this to her. She was gonna go through with spa week, she was gonna buy her new clothes, and she was going to go back to school a strong woman with a new wardrobe and a new attitude to show everyone that she wasn't the little innocent doormat everyone thought she was.

Rachel Berry was getting a makeover.

* * *

Puck arrived at school on Monday morning, fully prepared to sweep berry off her feet...then maybe onto the ground...and out of her clothes. He grinned a ferel grinn as he imagined exactly how his grand plan would play out. He would prove her wrong on all the different accounts that kept her away from him. He would prove that he was a new man, a changed man, a good man.

He heard the murmurs first. Little bits of Rachel's name, little snippets of conversation.

"Have you seen her?"

"So that's what's under her sweaters."

"Didn't know she was hiding that."

"Whoa, you mean Crazy Berry?"

Most of this was swirled in with the usual high school chatter, but Puck knew exactly to whom they were reffering. Rachel. And obviously, something was up. He was tensed in order to contain the protective rage that was threatening to lash out at the stupid Jocks who were daring to talk about his Rachel that way.

Wait!

His Rachel? Puck wondered when it had become so common for him to reffer to her as his, he should probably wait till it came out her her mouth...along with some other, more pleasant sounds. The grin was back, and Puck knew he had to find Rachel before classes started so he could put his plan to work.

What he found, certainly wasn't Rachel Berry. AT least, not the Rachel Berry that he knew.

He scanned over her body once...twice...three times, and still couldn't believe what he was seeing.

Rachel Berry was striding down the halls with a fitted white tee shirt and one of her usually short skirts. Instead of the usual bland, thick, knee socks, she was wearing thigh high, sheer panty hose, with the slightest bit of thin lace garter showing. Her shoes were shiny and black with only the slightest hint of a heel. Her hair was allowed to remain in its naturally curly state, and her eyes were, for once, coated in thin coats of dark color that brought out her startling eyes.

"Fuck!"

Puck's exclamation was loud enough for sever students around him to stop and stare at the cursing lunatic that stood stone still in their busy hallway. Up until that moment, Puck hadn't realized how lucky he's been with Rachel's old style of clothing. The baggy sweaters managed to cancel out the sexy skirts, and her usually makeup free face had remained hidden behind her thick chestnut hair.

But now. Now everything that Puck saw in Rachel. The innocent school girl. The saucy sex goddess. The passionate spit fire. It was all out there for everyone to look at. And boy they were looking!

It was nearly impossible not to look. Impossible not to be stunned that you had passed this girl in the hallways, shoved by her, slushied her even, without ever seeing this...this...this sexy as fuck woman!

Puck was striding foward with long, angry, purpose filled steps, and she saw him coming directly before he caught her arm and growled out lowly.

"What the fuck do you think you're wearing!"

She looked taken aback for a moment. Slightly offended, Then, Angry. She tried to pull away, but Puck was done with being gently. His hand held her arm in a vice-like grip that was starting to become painful.

"Clothing Noah. Rather new at the moment, so I'd prefer if you didn't wrinkle them."

Her voice was tart, removed, like on the first day of glee class. It only served to further enrage him. He pulled off his hoodie right there in the hallway, revealing his tight tee shirt, nearly straining at the seams over his thick muscled arms, and slung it around her. Batting her hands away as she attempted to keep him from zipping it up.

"Wha- What do you think you're doing Noah!"

Her voice was outraged at she spluttered at his domineering way of controlling the situation.

"Covering you up before somebody decides to jump you."

His voice was low and harsh, and his tone nearly brought tears to her eyes. Where did he get off being so mean? After he had finished 'covering her' to the best of his ability, he took a step back to examine his work.

He huffed, not exactly how he would like her dressed, perhaps in a burlap sack that left only her face uncovered. Yeah, that sounded good. But this was as good as it was gonna get for today.

Before he knew what was happening. She had already ripped the hoodie off and thrown it on the ground. Stepping on it. Before he could chew into her again, he met her blazing eyes, and realized he was in for a world of Crazy Berry.

The little amber flecks were dialated and cracking with the heat of her anger as she began to rant her opinions right there in the hall.

"Noah Puckerman! How dare you act like you have any right to tell me how to dress! I know for a fact, that _Santana_ dressed way worse than I have today, and you never told her to stop, even though you were _dating _her!"

Puck took a breath to reply in kind, but she continued before he could get a word in edgewise.

"Furthermore, you don't have any claim on me w_hatsoever!_"

He opened his mouth again, but once again, he wasn't quick enough to cut off one of Rachel's famous rants.

"You barely even like me and yet, you insist on treating me like some type of alpha male caveman boyfriend, and acting like you have some important role in my life!"

Ok, ouch.

Noah waited for her to continue, but knew after a few moments of watching her stand there, chest heaving, and letting his eyes flick back and forth between her full, tightly garbed, bossum, and her fiery, flickering eyes, that she was **finally** done.

Before she could object, Puck grabbed her by the arm, and pulled her down the hallway into an empty storage closet, slamming the door behind them. They had been starting to draw attention to themselves, and although the bell had already rung he didn't want any witnesses to he and Rachel's conversation.

Once he was sure they had some privacy, to turned the full force of his fury on her.

"Little girl, it doesn't matter what you think, possession is nine tenths of the law...and right now...I seem to be in possession of one Rachel Berry."

She sucked in a sharp breath, and he was aware just how close they were, smushed togther in this small closet, by the pressing of her breasts against his hard chest. He fought to remain in control of the situation, but her next words made that almost impossible, it seemed like she was going for a different strategy this time.

"Are you sure of that Noah?"

Her voice was low and seductive, he tried not to imagine how it would sound moaning out his name beneath him.

"Maybe I'm the one in possession of you?"

She thought this lighthearted question would stop him in his tracks, unfortunately for her, Noah Puckerman didn't think the same way. Instead, a lecherous grin inched it's way across his already devilish face, and he took a small step foward, pushing them both back up against the shelves of dispensible soap. His voice came out dangerously low, and he realized just how little control he had over himself in that moment.

"Who says I'm not fine with that little girl?"

It was her turn to be taken aback, she had thought her little quip was so clever. His hands locked on her hips, and began inching their way upwards in an almost painfully slow manner.

"I'll belong to you all day long Rachel Berry."

Now his voice was almsot a whisper, only deeper, and right beside Rachel's ear lobe. It caused the soft flesh to quiver for a moment, and her whole body shuddered at the suggestive tone he had chosen to use. This time, his voice was almsot inaudible.

"You just have to belong to me back..."

His voice trailed off as he began kissing her neck, softly, slowly, exploring. He nipped at the lobe of her ear, right where he had been whispering, and her whole body jerked, and she mewled out a few mumbled words that sounded like.

"don't stop."

Or maybe it had been "stop", Either way, Noah had no intention of doing the latter. This was a gentle, exploring kiss, he placed hot, open mouthed kisses on her neck, felt her body flush and shiver in response, he traveled downwards, trailing soft pecking kisses along the hollow at the base of her throat. Then, he dared to go even lower, tracing out her collar bones with his gentle.

He slowly unzipped the front of his hoodie, laughing at the irony of him being the one to take it off of her so soon after putting it on her.

His kisses descented even lower, and he tried to keep his control as her hands remained fisted in his hair, what little of it there was, and his mouth entered the smooth warmpth of her cleavage.

The second he reached the first button however, Rachel tried to pull back, murmuring her desire to get to class. She couldn't, physically that was, due to the shelf holding her in on one side, and Noah on the other. He sighed, knowing this was as far as he was gonna get today, but then he grinned, he could still have some fun with this.

Slowly, playfully, he stood up to his full heighth. He practically towered over Berry, and he watched the place where his mouth had just vacated rise and fall with the deep breaths she was taking, to cool herself down hopefully. He spoke again, this time, his voice was slightly lighter.

"Caught between a rock and a hard place Berry?"

She scoffed, covering for her shaking hands and knees with her sharp reply.

"Well you're fairly muscular Noah, but I would hardly call you a rock."

She was grinning now, but her voice was still shaky, she was trying to grab ahold of the situation.

_No suck luck sweetheart._

Puck raised his eyebrows, and his lips twisted in an all to familiar smirk.

"Oh Berry, I am most _definitely _the hard place."

His lips twitched, as he fought to keep his expression cool, not wanting to burst out laughing right here and risk pissing off Berry. She tried shoving him, and Puck decided, quite wisely, to let her think she could. He stepped back and waved his arm towards the door in a motion that said she was free to go. But at the last moment, he slapped his arm over the door.

She turned the full force of her glare on him and he just nodded towards his hoodie, which was now pooled on the floor.

"If you don't want a repeat of that little episode, "

She blushed, and he clarified

"Raging overprotective caveman and all."

More blushing, but with a bit more anger this time.

"Then you're gonna wear that hoodie all day, and come back to school with one of your deliciously modest sweaters."

He grinned, smug with himself, not expecting what was about to happen. He felt a sharp sting on his cheek, and heard the resounding 'smack' rebound off the walls of the tiny supply closet. Then he heard her voice, quieter this time, but filled with venom.

"If you wanted a little slave you could go sleep with any other girl in this school. But listen to me, and listen well. I. Am. Not. Yours. And you can do whatever you want with Santana, or Brittney, Or even Quinn for goodness sake's. But next time you talk to me, it had better be a respectful apology for the lack of concern you've shown for my feelings."

Noah continued to stand in front of Crazy Berry with his mouth hung open as she spun around and opened the door as if to leave. But at the last second, she turned back to him, her lips twitched upward in a way that told him there was still faint hope and said,

"Oh, and one last thing."

He held his breath.

"Fuck you Noah Puckerman."

And then she was gone. He replayed her last words, and, ever the optimist, latched onto one specific part.

_Noah Puckerman_

She always called him Noah. And if he had his way. She always would.

**Soooo *cringes and hides from rotten cyber tomatos being hurled* do you love it? Hate it? PLease review, they make me update faster than an ADHD squirrel on redbull, which i sorta am...:) **

**REVIEW REVIEW REVIEW!**


	7. Jealousy?

**A/N So I"m sorry it's taking me so long to update. I love you guys, I really do :), so please don't hate me for this next chapter, I decided Noah needed some competition, and Rachel needed some more experience so she would know just how great Noah really was in comparison to other guys. Andd I promise that since I've been so mean I'll try to get another chapter up tomorrow, and I strongly suggest you listen to the soundtracks I put with it, because I think It fits perfectly. Yeesh, long authors note, lol, here's the chapter...**

Rachel entered the music store with a spring in her step, trying her very best to keep any and all traces of the residual frustration left from her encounter with Noah behind. She was here to find the perfect song, and maybe shop a little. As she browsed through the older cassette tapes, she sighed with remembrance of their kiss. Then she frowned, who was Noah Puckerman to be taking up so much space in her life, no one, that was who.

She pulled out an old Lionel Richie album and grinned at the cover. _Hello, _was one of her all-time favorite songs. She fingered the worn case and could almost hear the notes flowing through her mind. Then, out of no where, a hand grabbed the case from behind her. She spun around, ready to say something scathing to reprimand whatever hooligan was stealing her record, and came face to face with none other than -

"Lionel Richie huh? _Hello, _great song."

It was **_the_ **Jesse St. James. The lead vocalist for vocal adrenaline, and well known womanizer in the show choir circut. This did very little to impress Rachel however, she was just as talented as him on any level, if not more, and had very little respect for womanizers. Even ones with piercing green eyes and sexy smooth voices...or mohawks.

"You're -"

"Jesse St. James. Yeah, and you're Rachel Berry, great voice, I saw you at sectionals, why are you singing with that bunch of losers again?"

Before she could bite out a famous Rachel Berry retort, he had taken her by the hand and was leading her over toward the piano in the middle of the store. He sat down and pulled her down to sit beside him.

"Wha- What do you think you're doing?"

He gave her a roguish grin, nothing close to par with Noah's of course. Damn him! Noah that was...and maybe Jesse too.

"Playing a song for you."

His dimples dances across his cheeks, and Rachel couldn't help but admit he held more than a little appeal...that was, in a strictly professional manner.

"And of course, giving the patrons of this fine establishment a chance to hear real talent."

Wow. Rachel knew she was good, and could be more than a little full of herself...but Jesse was on a whole other level of cocky.

When he started in on the first few notes, Rachel realized this was well deserved. Jesse's voice was even more magnificent in person. It was smooth with perfect pitch and a wonderful sense of rhythm. Without making a conscious choice, Rachel found herself singing along with Jesse, _enjoying_, Singing along with him.

And who wouldn't be, he was quite literally a perfect duet partner.

Their voiced matched in perfect harmony as Rachel sang the last several lines with him. And it wasn't until the last note dissipated from the air, that she felt a pang of regret that it wasn't her Noah who was sitting here beside her.

"You're good."

Jesse remarked casually. She felt her ire rise up.

"I think I'm a little more than good, that isn't -"

He cut her off

"Whoa, whoa, whoa. You're great, I didn't mean any disrespect."

She still wasn't placated, Jesse seemed to sense this.

"Fine, you have the voice of a goddess and it was the greatest honor for you to grace me with your voice."

His voice was completely serious, but his blue eyes twinkled with mirth and he seemed to be enjoying her discomfort.

"Of course, I also have a God-like voice. And you happen to be as big of a drama queen as me."

He seemed to take pleasure in that fact, and it almost had Rachel grinning that she had found, in essence, the male version of herself.

"I suppose I may be more dramatic than my other peers, but I have bigger goals and visions than the rest of them so my sense of urgency fits the way I see my life playing out."

Rachel's voice was crisp as she tried to detach herself from this smooth, singing, Lothario. Unfortunately, this wasn't the case, because as soon as Rachel stood to leave, Jesse mimicked the action. Bringing then practically chest to chest, and from Rachel's blush, it was obvious that she was well aware of who she had last been this position with.

"So, you wanna go out for coffee?"

His words might have been phrased like a question, but his tone made it clear he thought the request was anything but.

"Excuse me, I don't think-"

He cut her off...again, it was starting to get annoying.

"Who am I kidding! Of course you do!"

Was he serious. Rachel opened her mouth, but for once, someone was faster than her.

"I'll pick you up this friday. I know where Mckinley high is, I'll meet you out in front."

He was already talking like they had agreed, like she had actually- Wait! A picture of Puck's smug, over confident face flashed through Rachel's mind, and she imagined just how different that face would look when it saw her getting in Jesse's car. It was too much to resist, and even though she knew it was immature and childish to use a date with Jesse to get back at Puck, she couldn't help but think of how deliciously Jealous Puck would be.

Rachel paused a moment.

Was she really that kind of girl? The kind that used boys to put themselves on top. Just then a rather less pleasant picture of Noah _on top _of whatever girl he was using this week to fufill his well known carnal needs, flashed behind her eyes, and it was decided.

"Sure Jesse, I'll see you then."

Jesse flashed a quick grin and leaned down for a quick peck on the cheek before striding towards the door of the record store, jacket slung over his shoulder.

"Yes. You sure will Rachel Berry."

She wasn't sure whether or not he meant for her to hear that, but it gave her a warm, jittery feeling inside. She lifted her hand to her cheek and left it there for a moment, mentally comparing the two men in her life where, just a few weeks ago, there had been none.

Noah, with his Alpha male, Caveman, Overly violent, Smug, Womanizing, and all around badassness.

.v.s.

Jesse, with his Diva tendancies, Overly dramatic attitude, Overly confident demeanor, and all around Play boy-ness.

And for a moment, she couldn't decide if she hated them both, or loved them both.

Well, Tomorrow she would find out, and maybe she would find out if Puck really cared about her, or just wanted to claim her and throw her away like he had with the rest of the female population of Mckinley high school.

* * *

Noah Puckerman entered school on Friday in a bad mood. He had woken up to his little sister screaming/sobbing her apologies over spilling her cup of purple kool aid all over his Letterman jacket. Then, to make things worse, his mother had started in on her weekly "Why, Why Noah can't you date a nice Jewish girl? There are plenty of good girls at temple who would love to marry a handsome man like you and make beautiful Jewish babies."

To which he replied that none of the girls in temple were even near the level of attractiveness that Puck deemed acceptable for a female, and this inevitablly led to thoughts of Rachel Berry with her spit fuck temper and her tiny skirts. This, in turn, led to the even less palatable remembrance that she had rejected him...again.

So it was safe to say that when Rachel approached him this morning, starting to say God knows what, he shut her down pretty fast.

"Noah, I was think-"

His voice was harsh, harsher than he realized as it came out of his mouth.

"Listen Berry. I'm not in the mood for this. It's humiliating enough that even after I made it clear that I liked you, you still treated me like scum on the bottom of your mary janes, but giving me _another_ lecture on why you would never go out with me, is going a bit far. So just save it for a day when I'm not already pissed off."

And with that, Puck kept walked off down the hallway, trying hard to keep the unpleasant taste of guilt off his tongue.

Rachel stood in the hallway for another good minute before she remembered she was supposed to be going somewhere. She blinked rapidly as she walked quickly down the hallway to get to her first class. She had been about to tell Puck about Jesse, to tell him that she had changed her mind and wanted him to pretend to be her boyfriend so she wouldn't have to go out with him. She was about to tell Noah that she liked him.

A hoarse, slightly choked sob escaped her lips, and she realized just how attached she'd gotten to Noah.

_Stupid! Stupid girl!_

She bereted herself mentally for letting her guard down. How dumb could she possibly be? There was a reason she hadn't had many friends in her life, and it was her own damn fault. But that didn't mean she was gonna change herself. She was who she was, vicious cheerleaders and Jocks wouldn't change that...nothing would.

Jesse was different. Sure he was cocky and a bit of a asshole, but he was like her. He had big dreams, he didn't let others change him or make him more mainstream. She sniffed and wiped under her eyes. They were dry, but she was just checking, she wouldn't give any of them the satisfaction of knowing they got to her, even if she didn't really know who _they_ were.

Rachel's day went slowly, by the time glee club came around, she was ready to leave. When Mr. Schu called for her to sing (she had requested that she go last), she explained in a quiet voice.

"I don't feel very well today Mr. Schu,"

She added some fake raspy-ness to her voice.

"I don't think I'm up to singing. "

The entire class was silent, and there was almost literal 'cricket cricket' noises were ricoching off the walls. Even the usually smooth Mr. Schuester was throw off his game by this unexpected comment. He regained his composure though, just in time to clear his throat and excuse them early for the day.

Rachel hung back, hoping she could slip out un-noticed and with as little questiones as possible. She probably should of realized that even since Noah had entered the equation, there was no 'un-noticed' anymore.

He grabbed her arm, his grasp unexpectedly gentle. He pulled her around slowly and lifted his face gentely with his fingers. She almost flinched when she met his mossy green eyes, she definitly couldn't take this right now.

"Rachel I'm so-"

She cut him off, her voice quiet and small...for once.

"Don't Puck. You're right, I'm a bi-"

He cut her off with a rough growl.

"Fuck no! Don't say things like that. Sure, you're crazy berry."

She tried to hide her flinch at his cruel nickname for her, but he caught her gaze and held it firmly.

"But I like you that way...I like you-"

"Don't Noah."

Rachel's voice was hard, her previous sense of self protection slipping back into place.

"You were right. Either way we are two completely opposite people, and this sexual tension is frusterating certainly-"

She couldn't believe her own lies, so she didn't expect any more from Noah, but it was all she had.

"But nothing we can't handle."

She choked back the infuriating tears that simply wouldn't vacate the lower rims of her eyes.

"Either way, I'm trying my best to get along without any more thought to our...dillema"

Noah sucked in a sharp breath, his jaw hardening at her implied suggestion

"And I suggest you do the same."

And before he could stop her, she was, once again out the door. But this time he followed. He sure as fuck wasn't letting her get away this easy, he had been mentally kicking himself all day for what he'd said to her that morning. He hadn't even heard her out, and the broken, vulnerable look in her huge liquid brown eyes had almost made him want to puke with how sick he had been with himself.

As he jogged down the hall, sure his long legs would carry him faster than her short stature would allow her. He caught a glimpse of her skirt, red that day, and she exited out the front doors of the school. He made it to them, and flung them open, just in time to see Rachel get into a car.

Not just any car.

I midnight blue mustang convertible. Noah blinked once...twice...three times before he registered who else was in the car.

It was a guy, and not just any guy, some fucker with a shiny leather jacket and his arm tossed carelessly around _His girl_.

Before Puck (because that's who he felt like right then) could stride over to the car and rip the little shits arm out of his socket, the car was already taking off down the street, and he only caught one glimple of Rachel's hair, flying around her fact as she turned for a fleeting second to look back at him, and them they were gone.

Puck stood in the parking lot for a good 5 minutes before he shook himself back to reality. A reality he found himself despising at the moment.

Puck had never been the jealous sort of guy, or maybe he's just never had the opportunity. Usually, he was the guy girls cheated _with_, not _on. _But ever since he had first kissed Berry in that hallway, or maybe even before that, the bitter, metallic taste of jealously had taken up permenent residence on Puck's tongue. From the way he saw Finn looking at Rachel, to Mike Chang holding her a second too long in a choreagraphed dance, it seemed like until Rachel was HIS...officially that was...he couldn't bear the sight of her with other guys.

When had things gotten so fucking complicated?

**Remember what I said! please don't hate me lol, it's really going some where good I promise, :) anddd I promise that if you REVIEW REVIEW REVIEW! I'll speed things along a little bit, maybe throw in some lemon covered puckleberry? Lol, it's up to you guys, all I want is reviews for the little pieces of my soul I hand out to you on a semi-weekly basis *dramatic sigh* (if you can't tell, I totally get into character when I write Rachel :)**


	8. I Want You

**A/N heyyy :) here's the other chapter like I promised you. I also said i would start with soundtracks, and this chatper's song it 'i want you' by halestorm, and it's a cover of the original beatles song. It REALLY goes along with the chapter, and it shows another side of Rachel that i want my readers to understand. **

**oh, and just so you know, it's 1:41 a.m. haha lol, so i hope you appreciate my dedication to you...hehe jk, but no, really, here's the chapter**

**Oh and one more thing. p.s. reviewing makes this all worth it for me, really :)**

Rachel wasn't going to deny that Jesse was...flattering. He had certainly had enough practice to know exactly what words would make a girl's heart melt...or her panties, but despite being a virgin, Rachel Berry was no fool.

Her and Jesse had been seeing each other for around a week, and the tense, unbroken tension between her and Noah was growing stronger by the day, threatening to tear her apart by the seams. Jesse's unyeilding pursuit towards kissing something other than her mouth wasn't slowing down either, and it seemed like everything was too intense too soon.

But in her own way...Rachel actually liked Jesse.

It was no suprise that Rachel hadn't had many...any friends when she was younger, and despite her put-together front, she spent many nights curled up watching 'Rent', eating ben and jerrys, and crying her heart out. No one had understood her. Her two gay dads. Her drive and passion. Her go-and-get-it manner. They had all thought she was weird and no one liked her.

This feeling carried on into middle school, where she was teased constantly about her big nose and tendancy to hum show tunes during class. And so Rachel Berry entered high school, feeling alone, ugly, and completely driven towards a career on broadway. Where the stage was so big, that no one could see your nose or any other deformities, but only hear your voice.

Even in glee club, in the one place where Rachel's talent was valuable, she knew they were only nice to her because she was their best chance of winning. They had all at some point, made it clear just how low they thought of her.

_Even Noah_

But not Jesse. No matter how much of a self obsessed asshole he was, he still understood er better than any of her 'friends', he knew exactly how she felt, only, he had managed to get recruited to a winning team, and high school had been much more friendly to him.

Even so, there wasn't any chemistry between them. Well, physically they were compatible enough, but after kissing Noah, it just didn't feel like it was measuring up.

Rachel wondered if any one ever would.

But now wasn't the time to think about Noah. She wasn't with Noah, she was with Jesse. And it was Jesse's voice that snapped her back to reality.

"Earth to Rachel?"

He sounded slightly incredulous. Almost as if he had never been ignored before, because in his head, he probably never had.

"Oh, I'm sorry Jesse. I guess I'm just slightly distracted today."

There was a pregnant pause as Jesse eyes her with suspicioun plainly evident in his eyes.

"Would it have anything to do with a certain mohawk wearing hoodlum?"

Rachel's eyes went wide, and she replied vehemently

"No! Not at all Jesse! Just repeat what it was that you were saying."

She thanked God for Jesse's ego, because he couldn't turn down a chance to talk about himself, and it had given Rachel the perfect diversion from the rather unpleasant subject Jesse had been encroaching upon.

"I was saying..."

Jesse continued

"That since you don't have anything to do this weekend...you could come with me to the carmel show choir fundraiser."

Rachel choked back a gasp.

"Fundraiser?"

Now it was Rachel's turn to sound incredulous.

"All of you allready have your own cars...Supplied by the _funds_! How could you possible need _more_ money?"

Jesse scoffed, and replied in a patronizing tone.

"We don't _need_ the money, but we could use a few more outfits, and who says you need to _need_ something to convince other people to pay for it?"

Rachel was astounded and disgusted by Jesse's twisted logic. Objectively speaking, it was true. If people were ready and willing to throw money at Vocal Adrenaline simply because they were a winning team, there was no reason they shouldn't.

But when Rachel thought of Mckinleys horribly small choir room and even more poorly outfitted students, it made her sick to think that a show choir with a much money as Vocal Adrenaline had was still taking _donations_ from other peole.

Rachel's voice was quiet when she replied, due mostly to the fact that she was trying to keep the rant bubbling up inside her chest just there...inside her chest.

"It makes sense I suppose."

Jesse laughed, almost as if she had made some grand joke.

"Of course it does Rach! People _always_ give money to winning teams."

Then his tone changed, it was almost as if he was trying to use the seductive voice he had tried out on her the other night in his bedroom, it hadn't worked there either.

"How much money do you think Mckinley gives _your_ glee club? Enough to get proper outfits, or rehersal space?"

His question was phrased innocently, almost as if he already knew the answer...because he did.

"Sixty dollars a month."

Her voice was quieter still. Jesse snorted, and Rachel assumed it was orriginally meant to be a laugh.

"Sixty dollars!"

Rachel had been wrong. His voice hadn't been incredulous before...but it sure was now.

"We spent twice that in a day!"

Rachel's ire was beginning to rise, more at her school that Jesse's taunting, but that sure wasn't helping anything either.

"And the worst part is, the school isn't even paying for it! All of our budget comes out of Mr. Schuester's pocket, and it will until we prove that we're worth the money. Which we will eventually, because we are!"

Now Jesse was getting somewhere. He had been trying to find Rachel's weak spot forever now, and he realized that it had been quite simple...the glee club.

"Yes! Yes you are Rachel! But you know what? Your glee club isn't doing what it should to showcase your talents! If you were in a show choir with more _funds_, you could really show people what you're worth."

He had all but practically told her she should join vocal adrenaline, and this time, he actually had a foothold in his argument. Unfortunately, he hadn't counted on Rachel's next statement.

"I could organize a fundraiser for Glee club! We could do somthing...a car wash...or, even better, a bake sale!"

Jesse wanted to slap himself...or even her...he was so frusterated he couldn't see strait. How could she possibly not get the hint? Would he have to spell it out for her?

"Rachel, that's a great idea and all, but don't you think-"

He was cut off as Rachel jumped up and stated.

"I have planning to do!"

She leaned down to give him a kiss that ranked as slightly more enthusiastic that her others lately, a fact for which he was grateful, and stood up a few moments later with bright eyes and slightly ruddy cheeks. Jesse shifted uncomfortable in his seat as his eyes trailed down from her her kiss swolen lips to her legs, which were now almost directly in front of him, and barely covered by her usual mini version of a school girl skirt.

He then got a back view of the skirt as she turned and bounded out of the small cafe where they had been eating with a parting statement of

"Thank you thank you Jesse! I'll call you tonight and-"

Her voice was cut off as she ran out of the restaurant and down the sidewalk, dissapearing from view after a few moments.

Jesse leaned back in his seat with a dissapointed sigh.

"Damn!"

He motioned for the waiter to bring the check, and realized, with great dismay, that he had actually started to feel _somthing_ for Rachel Berry. That went against all his plans to Meet her, Seduce her, Convince her to come and sing for Vocal Adrenaline, and use her against the rapidly improving New Directions of Mckinley High in order to win his 4th consecutive Regionals before he graduated.

Things weren't working out as he had planned at all, and he had a feeling that a certain Noah Puckerman had something to do with all of this.

It was time for drastic steps, he had to go where no Vocal Adrenaline vocalist had gone before.

Mckinley High School.

* * *

Puck was about sick and tired of this Jesse shit. All the time now in glee club it was

"Jesse did this"

Or

"Jesse said that."

It was about to drive him crazy.

This particular day, it was the last 10 minuted of glee club, and Rachel had _Finally_ figured out what song she was going to sing. She had told Mr. Schu she needed extra time to rehearse because the song was particularly long.

Puck had also noticed that she had brought in the extra guitarist from band club, and there was a real drummer behind the set (of offense to Finn), and it looked like a real Rock N' Roll set up. He tuned back into class as Mr. Schu announced that Rachel was going to sing her song.

Puck felt his fists clench in a completely involuntary motion as Rachel walked to the front of the class. She had moved seats and now, no longer sat in front of him. As the fucked up fates would have it, she now sat in front of none other than...wait for it now...Finn Hudson.

_Lucky Bastard_

Rachel was wearing something slightly different today than her usual apparel, and it simulateously made Noah Curious...and hard. It was a short black skirt with silver studs lining the top, and her white v-neck dipped lower than anything Puck had thought Rachel had in her closet. Her hair was messy and...choppier? that it was usually. And, to make everything so much harder *pun intended* she was wearing chucks...fucking black all star converse.

"I hope you like my interpretation of this song. It's extremely different from my other choices to sing for class, and I chose to use one of the many different instruments I have learned to play along with the band."

Puck's eye brows rose and he felt the uncomfortable tightness in his jeans morph into actual pain as Rachel walked over towards the afore mentioned guitar player and say something under her breath, before the guy handed her the _fucking guitar_.

He could tell with one quick glance at Finn that he was in a similar position. Puck didn't even have to look at the other guys in class to know that they were all imagining Rachel with that guitar in their own personal fantasies.

As she adjusted the settings the rest of the band got into position to play, Rachel then pulled a mic stand over to the front of the 'stage' which was really just a marked off portion of the choir room.

She leaned over, and her slightly husky voice was amplified through the speakers.

"I usually forgo microphones, but this song requires rather loud instrumentals, and I doubt that even I could sing over them."

She grinned, and it was almost...devious?

_Well fuck me sideways on a sunday...Rachel Berry has a hidden bad girl inside her_

Puck groaned audibly. This was hardly fair. Rachel's eyes flicked over towards him, and his eyes might be tricking him, but he could have sworn she winked. But before he could think on this, The first edgy chords were flowing from the speakers, and right before Rachels voice started in, Puck realized what the song was, and he heard Mike Chang behind him stating what he was sure they were all thinking.

"No. fucking. way."

And he was pretty sure he heard Tina slap him...Puck didn't care though, all his attention was on the transformed badass Joan Jett/Crazy Berry in front of him. The first words out of her mouth were sung in a lower, huskier tone than Puck, or the rest of the class, was used to hearing out of their resident goody-two-shoes.

_I want you!  
I want you so ba-a-ad babe!  
I want you-ou-ou-ou!  
I want you so ba-a-ad it's driving me mad, It's driving me mad!_

Rachel kept up the pace, crooning her way into the second verse, and when she started in on the chorus, Noah could hardly believe what was comming in his ears. She was nearly screaming, in that husky-rocker-badass joan jett kinda way.

The guitar flowed up and down the minor scales, building up the tension right up until she started the bridge, and blew all their minds were her fucking unbelievable guitar skills.

"She's so!...Heavyyyyyyyy"

Her voice was pure sex, and Rock N' Roll, and just all out awesomeness all at once. Rachel was right, the song had been long, and it took him until the last stanza that it had been the **halestorm cover of the Beatle's _'I want you"_ **There was no way Noah could not jump to his feet and clap like a fan girl at a justin bieber concert with the rest of the class.

It took several moments for the class to calm down, and it looked like Mr. Schu was still having trouble keeping his jaw from dropping.

"Wow, I-I can't even- Just wow Rachel! I didn't now you even had it in you to do a song like that!"

Rachel shot him a wounded look, it totally contrasted with her badass look, but it didn't matter, Because she was Rachel Fucking Berry.

"I mean- of course you had the potential, I just didn't know you even like that kind of music."

Rachel just gave him a cool smile, falling back into her rocker chick persona for the day.

"I like all music Mr. Schuester, show tunes simply happen to be my favorite."

Mr. Schu gave her one more adoring look, probably mirroring what was on the faces of the whole class, before he said.

"Well...Class dismissed! And I hope you all pay attention to Rachel's perfect presentation of our _Emotions_ Assignment."

There was a lot of clapping and loud voices filled the room as the students filtered out, as Noah sat realizing the implications of Mr. Schu's last statement.

_Emotions Assignment_

He thought of Rachels maybe-wink, and the lyrics to her fucking amazing song, and about that Jesse fucker. And he was thinking so hard, he didn't notice Rachel had stayed behind until she was tapping his shoulder.

"Noah? Are you awake? Your eyes are open but I've heard with enough practice there are people who can sleep with-"

"Yeah Berry."

He cut her off, he voice unintentionally harsh for a guy who had just figured out the girl of his dreams wanted him. He hurridly said in a much genteler tone.

"I was just thinking about something. What do you want?"

The devious grin was back, and it reminded Puck about his need for one of the showers in the locker room...now!.

"I need you to help me with somethin..."

Her voice was low, seductive. Puck held in a groan and motioned with his head for her to continue. This had to be somthing either Amazing...or fucking terrible.

"I need you to help me orginize a bake sale."

Oh, So fucking terrible.

But at that moment, Puck was so immersed in this new, Rachel Badass Berry, that his head was nodding before he even realized what he was doing. She squealed and threw herself at him.

"Oh thank you thank you Noah! I'll owe you a HUGE favor."

Locked in a tight embrace by a very happy Rachel in a very low cut shirt was almost so pleasant that Puck forgot he was gonna have to bake cupcakes or some shit like that. But the sight of Rachel bounding off in that bad ass skirt with a huge smile on her face made it worth it.

_She_. Made it worth it.

**:D I hope you like it so REVIEW REVIEW REVIEW!**


	9. Cupcakes and Such

**A/N So I felt bad about all this Jesse shit, and decided to give you some good ole' puckleberry lovin. That's it I guess, short authors note. :) Here it is **

Never.

Not in Noah Puckerman's whole entire life, had he _Ever_, thought he would be doing this.

Noah was standing in Rachel Berrys kitchen...In an apron...Making cupcakes. There, strewn across the Berry family kitchen counter, were cupcakes, Vanilla cupcakes, Chocolate cupcakes, even red velvet. He stuffed another one in his mouth whole, and realized he had probably eaten more than he had made.

Then he sighed, and he wondered for the tenth time when Rachel was gonna come down from her room.

_*Flashback*_

_"Rachel, I think that you read the directions wrong."_

_She huffed impatiently. _

_"How so Noah?"_

_His lips twitched at her use of his real name, it was downright adorable...even if she was using that snippy tone with him just for correcting her. But he had too, he couldn't let her waste a whole other batch of cupcake batter after accidentally putting oil instead of water in the first. _

_"I'm pretty sure that it said to use 3 cups of flour...not, umm, sugar."_

_His voice was nervous, considering just how loathe he was to ever correct her when she was sure she was right. Now was no exception_

_Rachel rolled her eyes and turned back to the book with a look of sure Berry pattented confidence. All of the smuggness was wiped from her face, however, when she realized he was right. She stomped her foot, causing her skirt to flare up it a definitively eye catching manner, and Puck struggled to keep his eyes on her face. _

_"Darn it all! Baking has to be one of the most overrated "art forms" anyone has ever endevored to learn!"_

_She might be playing at overconfidant anger, but her eyes and posture belied her frustration, she really wasn't used to not being perfect was she? _

_Puck on the other hand, was rather confident of his culinary abilities, considering that he had had years of practice cooking traditional jewish food for his family when his mom wasn't feeling well, which was often. _

_Another glance down at the martha stewart recepie caused Puck to wince and shift uncomfortably, trying to keep his mouth shut, but not knowing if he should. _

_She caught his unusual posture however, and her impatient irritation only grew more incensed_

_"What Noah? What is it this time?"_

_Her tone alone should've been a warning that shit was about to hit the fan. Unfortunately, Puck wasn't exactly schooled in the subtlety of female emotions, and forged on ahead, albiet unsurely._

_"Umm, the recepie kinda called for 2 teaspoons of salt...not...tablespoons."_

_Then they both looked down at the instruments which RAchel had just used to ladel salt into the misture quite generously, and both of them noted that they were the definitely larger Tablespoons, to which Puck was referring._

_There was a tense pause, and just when Puck opened his mouth to suggest they just scrap this batch and start another, Rachel let out something akin to a growl, only much sexier and girlier. Then, quite unexpected and very uncharastic of Rachel, her hands slammed down on the counter, and inadvertantly caught the edge of the batter bowl with her hand, laeving Rachel with a batch of dark chocolate cupcake...sludge, covering her once slightly less than pristine apron and her usual sweater/skirt combination. _

_There was complete and utter silence in the room, before the first tear spilled down her chocolate flavored cheeks, and she spun around and flew up the stairs towards her room. Puck followed her, but she was one fast little jew, and she had already slammed/locked her door before he could wedge himself in. _

_Puck pounded on the door. _

_"Rachel! Rachel it's no big deal."_

_Silence, broken only by poorly concealed sobs. _

_"Rach- It's ok! We can make another batch!"_

_Still silence. Puck slumped against the door. Sliding down towards the white carpet, now slightly marred by chocolate splatter. Then, she spoke._

_"Go back downstairs Noah."_

_Her voice was horse and slightly raspy. _

_"I- I just have to clean up some. Go start the new batch."_

_Her voice broke at the end, and Puck's stomach clenched painfully. The effect that tiny ball of drama has on him is unreal. No one else in his words, saving his mother and baby sister, hold any sort of sway over him like Rachel Berry. _

_His voice was quiet, more subdued than was usual for him._

_"Ok babe. Just be quick."_

_She mumbled something akin to 'un huh', and Puck started his way back down the stairs with a weary sigh._

_*end flashback*_

Puck looked down at the bowl of freshly (and correctly) made chocolate batter, and back up towards the stairs. He could still hear the sound of the shower running, and knew that she'd be at least 10 more minutes. Despite the acute uncomfort this thought caused him below the waist, he was grateful for the chance he'd been afforded to follow through on his super-secret-epic-cupcake-making-plan

He leaned over and grabbed his backpack up off the floor, unzipping the side pocket in the process, and takes out some of the weed he bought off that gay sweater wearing dude who used to work at Mckinley.

After one more quick glance up the stairs, and the assurance that the coast is clear, he dumps the stuff in the brownies and stirrs it in thouroughly.

After scooping all the batter into their individual cups, and sliding them into the oven, he heard soft, padding, footsteps comming down the stairs. He turns with a grin on his face to greet Rachel, and has to take a full 10 seconds to reconcile what he's seeing, with the girl he knew...or thought he knew.

Rachel Berry was wearing a pair of sweat pants and an oversized lsu tigers tee shirt she had to have gotten from one of her dads.

At least, she better of gotten it from one of her dads.

Her smooth clear face was completely makeup free, and her naturally long, dark lashes were spiky with the water from the shower. Her dark hair was tangled, and at that moment, she appeared to be trying to work them out with a wooden, expensive looking brush.

Noah was cautious.

"Are you ok..."

His voice trailed off slowly, he didn't want to risk Rachel blowing up on him again... and it didn't look like her carpet could risk it either.

"I'm fine Noah..."

Her voice was soft, and the remnants of her crying jag showed in the way her voice came out.

"It's just...I'm not used to- to not being good at things I guess."

Her face contorted slightly, as if she was wincing. It seemed the admission caused her actual physical pain. Noah chuckled, the quickly caught himself when he caught the scathing look she shot at him. He sighed and walked towards her.

"Aww Rach.."

He put his arm around her as her small shoulders began shaking with another round of small sobs, and led her over to the couch. He let her rest her head on his shoulder for a couple minutes, almost enjoying the feel of her damp hair soaking through his tee-shirt. Then, when her sobs subsided, and a series of quiet 'hics' filled the air, he realized she had cried herself right into a jag of hiccupping.

He rubbed small circles onto the flat of her back, and tried his hardest to keep his smile hidden. When the 'hics' came fewer and farther between, he knew she was just about done.

"Rachel..."

He grasped for words that wouldn't get him slapped, or ranted at, that last one was probably scarrier.

"What's the matter...It can't be just the cupcakes."

She looke up at him with red rimmed doe eyes that were brimming over with a theatricaly perfect expression of grief, Puck wondered if Rachel realized how adorable overdramatic she was all the time. In typical Rachel fashion, she let the question hang for a moment before she pulled together a reply. Puck was suprised she still hadn't thrown up her walls, the tantalizing vulnerability was still evident on her stunning face.

"I- I'm just not- I'm not likeable Noah!"

Her voice started to crack, and Puck was afraid she was gonna start crying again. Her words caused him to pause, and his brown furrowed with a deep frown on his handsome face.

Did Rachel Berry _actually_ care what people thought about her?

It was almost impossible to see behind her carefully constructed front of complete self confidence, but he was sure it was hard to be confident when you were in sweats and just out of the shower. Not that he minded at all, in fact, it was more than a little fucking hot considering that he had never seen Rachel in a normal tee-shirt...without a bra.

_Oh Shit!_

Why did he have to choose now of all times to notice her state of undress...with her sitting here on the couch with him... sitting almost _on him?_

He realized she probably wanted a reply, and he hurried to say.

"That's bullshit Rachel!"

He hadn't meant for his voice to come out so loud, but it had, and she looked startled. Her face hardened slightly, and she said.

"Is it really Noah?"

"Of cou-"

Puck's voice cut off as his mind processed what she had said, she just gave him brittle, hard smile. He didn't like the way it looked on her face.

"Think about it. The kids in glee, they don't hang out with me, they don't like me, unless it's the week of a concert and they remember that I'm the best in the group they don't give a damn about me."

Her voice was definitely hard now, and Puck found himself longing for the Rachel of 2 minutes ago. He realized that that was exactly what she saw, that the kids didn't pay attention to her unless they got something out of it, but she was missing other things as well.

"Rachel...baby."

Puck's voice was gentle.

"The kids in glee...they don't know what to do with you."

She gave him a confused look.

"You're so- so- Intense."

Puck grinned, smug with his use of his word of the day. What? He had the app on his phone.

"But that doesn't mean they have to be-"

"No..."

Puck cut her off,

"You're forgetting, they're just kids. You act so much older than you really are, it's kinda intimidating for the rest of them. They're jealous, but at the same time, they're glad they're not you because you get picked on so much."

Rachel sniffed and wiped at her eyes with the sleeve of Puck's jacket. That's it. Puck was never washing this hoodie again.

Once again..._When_ had he become such a pussy?

"I- I guess I get it. But then why are you nice to me? I already told you I'm not going to sleep with you Noah."

He smirked, but then his face went serious. He took her face gently between his hands, relishing the fact that he practically cupped her whole face with his large hands.

"Listen close Berry. I. Like. You."

He couldn't fight his grin at her confused expressin, then sobered when he realized just how little she had probably heard those words in her life.

"You're just saying that..."

Her voice betrayed her doubt, and Puck's ire rose at her insistense that no one could possible like her. Well if she wouldn't believe his words...

In a nearly impossibly slow motion, Puck leaned foward and kissed Rachel's right cheek, absorbing the still moist tear drops left on her smooth skin from moments before. He repeated the same action on her left cheek. He moved lower, slowly, always slowly, and used every rarely exercised drop of self control in his body to kiss the very corner of the left side of her mouth, where a single tear had puddled in the dip at the edge of her lips full lips.

Her mouth opened slightly in a faint gasp, and Puck went tense with his desire for her, wanting more than anything to take her mouth right there, and prove his point by force. But he fought his own personal desire and lust, reminding himself exactly what he was supposed to be showing Rachel. If he made this kiss about him, it would only prove her false point- that everyone around her only used her.

He waited a moment to regain control of his body, and them allowed his left hand to travel down, leaving his right cupped gently against the rapidly heating skin of her cheek, and trailed his left downwards to the small of her back, not allowing himself to go any further than necessary.

In an achingly gentle motion, Puck pulled her closer, sliding her onto his lap and cradling her body against his in the most pure ,chaste, manner he could possibly mannage. This was probably not the best idea, considering his now painfully aroused state, but once again he reminded himself just how important this was.

Rachel let out a little mewling noise, and he almost lost it right then, but he didn't. And after a few moment of placing feather light kisses on her entire face, her cheeks, her forehead, her nose, her chin even, he felt her body relax and melt into his.

He didn't fight the triumphant smile that tugged his full lips outward, and resisting the temptation to place one long lingering kiss on her ever so ready lips, Puck pulled back, to view her reaction.

Her eyes were half closed, in some state of comfortable delirum, and her hands were locked around his waist in an almost familial gesture. Fortunately, nothing between them was ever familial, and he could tell that she believed him now.

"Noah..."

Her voice was so soft, so low, it was almost the undoing of him.

"Rachel! Are you in there!"

They both jolted at the loud pouning at the front door, Rachel however, jumped up and ran over to answer it.

Puck stood up and walked over to see who had been such an unwelcome intruder on his and Rachel's intimate moment.

Jesse St. Fucking James.

**Ohhhh, :O Did you like it? Remember, REVEIW REVIEW REVEIW! And I might take this puckleberry lovin to the next lever *suggestively wiggles eyebrows* , lol, just review people! **


	10. When the Shit Hits the Fan

**A/N Heyyyy :D So the reviews on my last chapter were astounding, and they energized me so much that I sat down, started writing, and didn't stop! Lol, I hope you guys realize that when you leave longer, more detailed reviews, it gives me ideas people! And you know what comes from ideas?**

**5500 WORD CHAPTERS** **PEOPLE!**

**lol, so I hope you appreciate this lovely, fucking long chapter. Hereeeee it is :)...**

There. Standing in the threshold of Rachel Berry's suburban household, was Jesse St James.

Rachel felt her heart thud dangerously in her chest, and could practically feel the tension oozing from this delicate situation. She took several deep breaths and realized that no one had said anything yet. Well if there was anything Rachel Berry was good for, it was talking.

"Jesse!"

Her voice was unnaturally bright and chipper, and she figured her smile was as alltogether unconvincing as her syruppy sweep voice at the moment.

"What are you doing here Jesse? I didn't expect to see you today."

She kept the whole peppy chipmunk thing going, hoping to de-thaw this extremely volatile situation before it blew up in all of their faces. Jesse gave Puck a glare that could flatten a weaker man...the main word being _weaker_, which Noah Puckerman, certainly was not.

Being the ever so _not weak_ man he was, he simply returned the look, causing the tension in the room to build. Not that Jesse was actually in the room, a fact that Rachel soon took note of.

"Jesse, I'm so sorry! I've been so rude leaving you standing there on the porch in this weather."

Her voice was reaching a dangerously high pitch, and Noah glacned down, giving her a funny look.

"It's april babe."

His tone was still terse, and Jesse reacted physically to Puck's casual term of endearment, opening his mouth to say something, but getting cut off by Rachel before he could start a fight, a fight he would most likely lose.

"Well either way...won't you please come in Jesse?"

He gave her a stiff nod and entered, causing both Puck and Rachel to take a step back. Then, they all smelled it, the cupcakes...the _burnt_ cupcakes.

"Oh Shit!"

For once...it wasn't Puck using one of his more familiar curse words...it was Rachel.

Both Jesse and Puck turned towards her with mouths wide open, neither of them having heard such a deliciously dirty word out of her mouth...well, not Jesse at least. Puck figured he had been a bad example on her...but the mere idea that she was picking up words from his vocabulary made him proud. It wasn't like she didn't effect him as well. In fact, just the other day, Puck had caught himself using a word with four silabals, that was definitely Rachel rubbing off on him.

But before either of them could comment, Rachel was flying towards the kitchen with all the abandon of a mother who thought her child was about to get hit by a car by standing in the middle of the road.

The two unlikely house guests were left standing awkardly by the front door,which was still open, and neither of them were ready or willing to say the first word. So they simply stood, eyeing the each other up, waiting for Rachel's return.

Then, they heard it.

It was a loud clattering noise, followed by another rather colorful word, from the mouth of one Rachel Berry. Both of them ran towards the kitchen, Puck being in the lead of course, and the sight that greeted them confused Jesse, and gave Puck a mixted reaction of pity, concern, and ammusement. The last showing prominently on his face.

Rachel looked up at them with fresh tears brimming on the tips of her eyes, while holding her right thumb with her other hand like a child who had just been pricked with a thorn. Puck observed that her thumb was beginning to show a red welt, and figured he could safely assume she had burnt herself.

Asserting himself into the situation before that Jesse Fucker had a chance too, Puck knelt over and gently took her hand. He heard her suck in a sharp breath, and realized that her burn ran down the length of her entire right thumb, nearly reaching her wrist. She sniffled pittifully, and bit her lip before saying,

"We- We keep a first aid kit in the closet across from the pantry...It has b-burn medicine it it."

Before she had even finished speaking, he was off to find the closet. Shoving roughly past Jesse on his way, who was still standing dumbly in the door way of the kitchen, with a look on his face that was a mix of angry and stupid...yeah, Puck had decided that stupid was an emotion, and Jesse St. James was full of it.

It didn't take Puck 30 seconds to find the medicine to which Rachel was refering, and the sight that met him when he walked back in the kitchen caused his gut to clench. Jesse was knelt in a manner which was similiar to how Puck had been positioned before, only he was focusing of Rachel's face. It took a couple of red hazed seconds to realized that Jesse was simply inspecting a small red mark to the side of Rachel's right eye that had to be a burn.

When Rachel noticed Puck, she shifted away from Jesse, reaching her left hand up for the box in Puck's hand. He just shook his head with a gentle smile. Then, trying his best to ignore this unwanted intruder and focus on his little girl and her injury, he knelt over on Rachel's other side and took her right wrist gingerly, trying to inflict as little pain as possible. He let out a breath.

"Damn babe. What happened?"

His voice was slightly off, probably because he was trying to hide his worry for her underneath his...how did she term it? Oh yeah! His 'alpha male exterior."

She sniffled again, only this time it was more theatrical, as if she was trying to make a point.

"I ruined, _another_ batch of cupcakes."

She nodded her head over towards the pan of cupcakes, which now resided, although burnt and strewn all about, on the Berry's perfect white linoleam floor. Puck let out a small snort, and Rachel glared up at him.

"This is most definitely not funny Noah! I'm serious about this fundraiser."

He tried to hide his grin. Then said without thinking.

"So am I. And now I'm gonna have to find some more pot because you ruined this batch."

He caught himself a moment too late, and both Rachel and Jesse were looking at him with looks of utter astonishment. He expected to get chewed into from Rachel, but that wasn't what happened, instead...

"What the fuck man! Why are you trying to drug my girl up!"

Puck growled and leveled Jesse with a glare that had worked wondered with impertinent members of the football team.

"They weren't for Rachel. These were for the glee club fundraiser you little shit."

Puck's voice was tense with barely restrained violence that was straining against the very rarely used strands of self restraint left in Puck after the day he'd had, and his mind was beginning to form a chant or sorts.

_Cannot kill Jesse in Rachel's kitchten. Cannot kill Jesse in Rachel's kitchen. Cannot kill Jesse in Rachel's kitchen._

It wasn't working very well.

He turned his attention back towards the injured little jew curled up into a ball on the kitchen floor, scared of her response to the secret he had just let slip. To Puck and Jesse's complete and utter shock, Rachel's voice came out quiet and gentle.

"You spiked the fundraiser cupcakes?"

Puck nodded guiltily.

"Because you wanted them to sell well and have lots of people buy them?"

Another nod...where was this going...was she setting him up for another famous Berry rant, because this wasn't her usual style. When he met her eyes, which Puck had been avoiding for fear of getting burnt, they caused his heart to stop...then start again.

She was staring at him with a look of childish adoration that she usually reserved for the Wicked soundtrack and Barbara Streisand.

"Noah that's- that's the most thoughtfull thing anyone's ever done fore me."

Her voice was gentle and soft, causing Puck's stomach to feel strange and jittery like he had just taken a drag of weed. Fuck that, Rachel Berry was better than Weed!

Then Jesse had to go ruining the moment...again.

"Wait a minute! This loser puts _illegal drugs_ in food your batter...without your permission...and you're fucking _grateful!"_

Rachel shot Jesse a glare that could singe his perfectly manicured eyebrows right off, and replied with a voice that rang with equal parts ice and fire.

"Jesse, I would appreciate if you refrain from calling my friends 'Losers', or anything else of the like, and furthermore, Noah was doing what he was doing because he cares about me and glee club."

She paused, and both of them didn't dare say anything, because she definitely wasn't done.

"Something which I should note _you_, don't seem to be interested in helping with."

Jesse looked incredulious.

"_Me!_ I'm not even on your fucking glee club! And what the fuck are you doing asking this jerk off to help you for huh! I thought you said there wasn't anything going on between you two!"

Puck was tensed and ready to strike, he was already about to shove the prick back a few feet for getting all up in Rachel's face, but he decided to hold back for a moment. He knew from personal experience that Rachel could take care of herself.

"There's Nothing going on Jesse, I already told you-"

But Jesse cut her off Roughly, and Puck realized that his self restraint was only holding on by the thinnest of threads...just one ounce of pressure and-

"Bull shit!"

Jesse stood up suddenly, and Puck followed the movement, ready for a fight with the dick that was treating his baby girl like some kind of liar. If Rachel Berry was anything, it was painfully honest.

Puck instructed Jesse in a cold voice.

"You're gonna apologize to Rachel right now, she was telling the truth you little fucker, and she doesn't deserve a prick like you calling her a liar."

Jesse looked shaken for a moment, but like always, he was confident that no one would dare hit him. After all, at Carmel, there was an unspoken rule that you didn't mess up the pretty boy's face. because the principal wouldn't take kindly to somebody that was scratching up the golden goose. Jesse, however,was convienantly forgetting that Noah Puckerman didn't go to Carmel High School, and had no qualms (other than Rachel's deadly ire of course), with beating his scrawny ass.

"Well it doesn't look like a lie to me. I come in and find her in her fucking pj's, without a fucking bra!"

His voice was rising, and the deep stain of red on Rachel's cheeks only gave cause to incense Puck further.  
But Jesse wasn't done yet.

_Just one more thread left-_

"And then, on top of it all, she's here with some _guy_, acting like some kind of slu-"

_SNAP!_

That was it for Puck, he took a swing, landing a blow right on Pretty boy's jaw. Jesse went stumbling back, grabbing at the kitchen counter for support, gaining it, then flying towards Puck with an unexpectadly fast movement.

He managed to shove Puck back, and both of them went stumbing over Rachel, fortunately, neither of them causing her harm. Her high pitched scream, however, could be heard throughout the kitchen...and probably most of the subdivision considering the door was still open. And she followed after them, cradling her injured hand against her chest, as they carried their brawl out into the Berry living room.

She alternated between telling them to stop, and moving/catching different articles in the room which were knocked over in the midst of the tv-teenage-drama-worthy fight. She'd finally had enough, and managed to grab onto Noah's shoulder, stopping him immidetely.

Because despite his absolute and utter loathing of Jesse, and his strong desire to pummel the little shit, Rachel was still his definite first priority. He turned his head to look at her, and in that movement, caused her greater harm than he could have possibly forseen.

Because in that moment, Jesse took full advantage of his opponants vulnerability, and sent a full out suckerpunch towards the side of Puck's head. However, due largely in part to Jesse's partially blind swolen eye, which was in turn due in turn to Puck's fist, Jesse misjudged the distance between his swinging fist, and Puck's unsuspecting face. And the full force of his punch was let loose on one very unsuspecting Rachel Berry. Who was knocked backwards and to the floor by the momentum, hitting a coffee table on Her way down.

Her head swam in and out of a misty black territory, and the last sight she saw before she passed out, was a rather bloody, injured, absolutely fucking frantic, Noah Puckerman.

* * *

_BEEP BEEP BEEP_

Would that insesant noise not stop!

Rachel Berry was aware that she was lying prostrate on a very uncofortable bed that reeked of rubbing alchohol and a variation of the other smells that inevietably filled hospitals.

It took several moment, and no small ammount of effort on her part, to react to the soft hands that gently nudged her into the real world. She blinked several times as she gazed up at a very pretty young woman in awkard baggy clothing.

"Are you an angel? Did I die? Is Amy Winehouse here?"

Her voice rose in both pitch and volume, and she responded to her own loud volume with a wince. Ouch. She hadn't expected to have such a headache in heaven.

The woman, who was a nurse in reality, laughed softly and said in a gentle voice.

"No sweetie. You're not dead, and this is definitely not heaven. But I'm pretty sure Amy wouldn't be here even if it was."

Despite the throbbing in her head, Rachel managed a decent glare, and said in her usual impertinent voice.

"It's very shortsighted to simply assume that simply because Amy had a troubled life and struggled with substance addiction that she never made it into heaven."

Her voice was firm, and the nurse gave her a look that said they were definitely keeping her an extra day for examination, before she replied.

"Of course, I suppose you're right. But right now, I'm more worried about you. How do you feel?"

Rachel scrunched up her face in confusion, and in doing so, felt a sharp and unmistakable pain.

Then, it all came tumbling back into place, the events of the past couple hours that was.

She and Noah had been making cupcakes.  
She and Noah had been kissing.  
She and Noah had been interrupted by Jesse.  
She had burnt the cupcakes.  
She had burnt herself.  
She had gotten Jesse and Noah in a fight.  
She had tried to break up a fight.  
She had gotten punched in the face.

It took Rachel a moment to process this information correctly, the painkillers, although pleasant, seemed to be slowing down her usally quick mind.

Jesse had punched her in the face!

Then she rememered falling back onto the coffee table and hitting her head, and it didn't take Rachel long to realize that she was in the hospital, most likely because of a concussion.

She reached her hand up to feel her head, which felt unnaturally heavy, and before she reached her scalp, the nurse stopped her.

"No no sweetie. Don't do that. It's not good for you to mess with your head right now. Do you remember what happened."

Rachel started to nod, then winced, and murmured out.

"Yes, I realize that I was injured."

The nurse seemed ammused by Rachel's definitely odd way of phrasing everything in a perfectly precise, gramatically correct manner.

"Yes, you were, and you have a big ole' pump knot on your head and one heck of a shiner."

Rachel winced, this time, not from pain. Although, that probably had something to do with it anyways.

"Where's Noah...Jesse...My Dads!"

Rachel nearly shot up in bed, were it not for the nurse's arm restraining her, and then the pain kicked in.

She groaned and fell back. The expression 'Hit by a truck' seemed to by an apt description of Rachel's physical state at the moment. The nurse gave Rachel a stern look, that Rachel interpreted to mean the nurse wasn't going to tell her anything if she didn't stay still. Rachel exhaled an impatient sigh and said,

"I'll obey your instructions...but please?"

The nurse gave her a suspicious look, but sighed and continued, probably realizing that Rachel was an expert at getting the information that she wanted.

"Well, your boyfriend...or both of them."

She gave Rachel a questioning look, but Rachel just motioned for her to continue.

"Well, they were both in pretty bad shape too, and we actually had to treat one of them with stitches."

Rachel gasped, and wondered silently who it was. Her silent question was answered in the next moment ,however, as the nurse continued without pause.

"Then, the other one, the big dude with a mohawk."

Rachel relaxed involuntarrily, immensely relieved that it wasn't Noah who was seriously injured.

"Well we thought he was gonna tear all the stitches out of the little guy all over again, so we had to seperate them, we haven't let either of them see you yet because we thought it might cause a ..."

She hesitated, grasping for words.

"Disturbance, in the hospital. When your fathers..."

The nurse drew the word out in her southern accent, as if trying it out on her tongue, probably not used to the same sex marriage arrangement as Rachel was.

" got here, they told both the boys to go home. Apparently..."

The nurse shot Rachel a chastizing glance.

"They didn't know either of the boys, and didn't believe that you were dating either one."

Rachel just continued tracing the boring, circular pattern on her hospital gown, before asking,

"Where are they now?"

"Well, they stayed here all night, and then one of them ran home to grab some things when we told them we were keeping you a few more nights. The other one just left to get some coffee a few minutes before you woke up."

Rachel accepted this answer in silence, and sat quietly, wondering how she ,of all people, had managed to get herself into this prediciment. Then, all of a sudden, the nurse asked in a conspiratorial tone.

"So I'm _dying to know_...Which one _is_ your guy?"

Her grin was downright mischievious, and just as Rachel was about to answer, her James Berry's voice rang out from the doorway.

"Yes, Which one was it Rachel."

Her head involuntarily snapped sideways towards the door, and this was followed directly by a pained moan at the physical reaction that her movement had caused. It took a moment to reposition herself to her liking, and her father's heart to restart. Then, her he started again.

"Because I couldn't be sure of which one I was going to shoot until I knew the answer."

Most fathers would simply joke about such things, but at this moment, James Berry had a completely straight face. And seemed to be ignoring the rather obvious face, that he was standing in the middle of a hospital, with a nurse ,of all people, to bear witness of his premeditated violence.

But one look at the nurse's face said that she wouldn't say a word should either of the boys be wheeled in on a gurney with a shotgun wound. And if any other sane person on the planet saw James Berry's face right at that moment, they wouldn't either.

Rachel shifted uncomfortably on the stiff, lumpy, bed, and answered unsurely.

"I-I'm not really sure."

Her father frowned, obviously unhappy with her vague answer.

"Well let's start with something easier."

His voice was dangerous. As would any father's be when he was facing his small, injured, daughter, lying prosterate with a black eye, in a hospital bed. Most importantly, after being placed there, supposedly, by a boy.

"How about you tell me what dead man put you here."

Rachel knew she had to be careful about how she worded her next sentance, and it took her a couple seconds to collect her thoughts, largely due to the incessant throbbing in her head, and the fuzzines caused by it.

Thankfully, that bought her all the time she needed, for someone else to step in and answer for her. Because just then, there was another presence in the room.

"I could answer that for you that sir."

It was Noah, standing tall and confident in the doorway that her father had just vacated.

James turned to see this unwelcome visitor, and said in a harshe voice.

"I thought I told you to leave you little punk."

Puck looked from Rachel, with an expression that varied between rage and absolute grief, and then back to James with a firm, resolute set to his chisled jaw.

"With all due respect sir. I couldn't just leave. I had to make sure Rachel was ok."

He paused, and looked back towards Rachel, almost as if to prove his previous point.

"Now that I know she's ok..."

Puck paused and took a deep breath, knowing that James Berry had every intention of punishing either one, or both, or his daughter's supposed attackers.

"I think you deserve to know what happened."

With the famous and ever dramatic Berry timing, Alan Berry entered through the door, saying,

"I brought coffee for al-"

He was cut off when he saw Puck, and the corners of his eyes tightened. He seemed to be about to say something similar to what James had already stated in terms of threats, when James cut in.

"Alan. Good you're here. This young man-"

He shot a deadly glance towards Puck.

"Was about to explain to us why our precious daughter is lying in the hospital bed with a concussion and a black eye."

Alan looked over towards Rachel, and noting she was awake, said,

"Hey there darling, do you feel allright?"

Rachel managed a weak response.

"Fine Daddy, listen to Noah,"

Alan turned back to Puck, who was already the focus of the other occupants of the hospital room.

"Well young man...you can start any time."

Puck spared one more intense glance towards Rachel, then turned back towards his jury.

"Well, Sirs, Rachel and I were making cupcakes for a glee club fundraiser and-"

Alan interrupted him, his voice high pitched both with shock, and his natural feminity.

"Rachel...baking!"

Both he and James's eyebrows rose with suprise, and when they looked over towards Rachel, she was frowning.

"Oh just shut up and listen."

Puck chuckled softly, then caught himself, shifting his attention back towards the much needed explination he was providing the two fathers of his girl, explaining the reason for Rachel's current state.

"And she spilled batter on herself, so she had to take a shower and change."

Rachel's fathers gave her a look that told her she was going to hear about taking a shower while she was home alone with a boy later, before they both turned back to Puck.

"But then _Jesse_ showed up."

Puck's jaw tensed, a nerve in it ticking, and Rachel's fathers both noted the fact that he said 'Jesse' like an oath.

"And when Rachel accidentally burned herself,"

He motioned towards Rachel's wrapped hand, a fact the nurse had completely forgotten to mention, being as caught up as she was in the dramatic love triangle that was definitely the most exciting part of her day.

"Jesse started getting all jealous, I warned him, but he kept saying _things_."

He stressed the word, and James asked before Puck could continue.

"What sort of 'things' young man?"

Puck shot an apologetic look towards Rachel, before saying.

"He started to call your daughter names sir, I don't exactly wish to repeat them, considering that they were extremely disrespectful."

His voice was as cool as ice, and both Alan and James looked towards Rachel for confirmation. At her nearly imperceptible nod of the head, both of their eyes cooled dramatically, and James looked like he was itching for a shotgun, even a paintball gun at least, honestly, he just wanted to shoot the little prick.

"I'm not proud of myself sirs, but I punched him. I initiated the fight. I mean, we didn't get that far, but when Rachel tried to break it up, Jesse took advantage. He tried to punch me when my back was turned, and...well, he missed."

Puck's voice nearly crackeled with the violent tension that still lingered in his bones, his body still longed to take Jesse St. James for 8 rounds in the ring and make him wish he hadn't ever laid eyes on Rachel Berry.

Then, the nurse interrupted.

"If you didn't get that far before she stopped you,... Well then why did this other guy-Jesse-, why did he have such severe injuries?"

Puck took a moment to reply, answering carefully.

"Well, after I made sure Rachel was allright, I mean, after the guys in the ambulance picked her up,"

Both Alan and James winced.

"I um...I kinda went to town on Jesse."

His voice was low, quiet almost, but it rang with a deep fierce protectiveness. Looking back up at Rachel's dads, he said,

"I'm really sorry about your living room sirs. I don't think we broke anything. But your carpet didn't take it so well."

But despite Puck's fears of being punished for ruining the once pristine white carpet, both Alan and James were sighing in relief, mostly because when they had seen all that blood, both of them had instantly jumped to the conclusion that it had been Rachel's. When in reality, Rachel had lost very little blood in a small pool on the floor by the table.

It probably didn't say great things about James's moral fabric that the idea of it being this Jesse kid's blood gave him more saticfaction than regret. Alan, however, was the first one to speak. He walked over to puck, and clapped his hand on Puck's shoulder in his attempt at a masculine gesture, he failed of course, but it was a nice attempt.

"Well son, I wouldn't be apologizing If I were you. I think you saved the both of us a lot of trouble."

Rachel looked shoked, and said,

"Daddy!"

James just gave her a wry smile.

"Honey, I think Alan's speaking for us both when he says that this young man did us a tremendous favour."

He turned towards Puck, his manner notably less frosty than previously, and asked,

"What's your name young man?"

"Noah."

He replied confidentally with a grin towards Rachel, it was almost their own private joke, his real name that was. And Puck realized that it was probably the first time in years he had actually introduced himself by his real name.

"Noah Puckerman Sir."

Alan smiled and said to Rachel,

"Is this the one you told me about?"

Rachel blushed

"Daddy!"

James turned towards Alan.

"She talked to you about him? How come you didn't tell me?"

As Rachel's father's squabbled, Puck walked over towards Rachel with a cocky smirk on his sexy lips.

"So...you told your dad about me?"

His voice was low and seductive, causing Rachel's blush to intensify. Then, all the commotion was interrupted by the confused, and very irritated voice of the nurse.

"Hold up everybody!"

The room was silent. She turned back towards Rachel.

"You never answered my question."

There was a pregnant pause as they all waited for her to continue.

"Which one is your boyfriend?"

Rachel blushed even deeper if that was possible, and she looked over towards her fathers.

"Well...It was Jesse."

There were noises of outrage from both her father's and the nurse, and Puck just stared at her with that intense, smoldering, expression from their early days in glee. Then she interrupted them again.

"But! Now...Well, it's definitely not him anymore."

There were sounds of approval and satisfaction from all around the room, and Rachel looked up into the big green eyes of Noah Puckerman, and was greeted with the best sight of all.

They were brimming over with unconditional acceptance...approval...and

Love?

Rachel hadn't ever read that expression in his eyes before, but it was definitely something more than his usual lust, or desire. It was soft and warm, like freshly baked chocolate chip cookies, and it seemed to envelope her into the warmpth that could be found there.

Unbeknownst to the patrons of hospital room 133, they weren't the only ones viewing this touching moment. Standing by the window, watching in a rather creepy and voyeristic manner, was Jesse St. James.

His jaw clenched in a less threatening and masculine manner than Pucks, and he could feel his hands forming fists. His face ached, and the stitches on the outside of his left arm strained against the tightly pulled skin.

He had learned the hard way that he most definitely couldn't go up against Puck, but he wasn't one to let go easilly, and he still planned to have his revenge. Since Puck was out of the picture, that only left one choice,

Rachel.

He had already called and cancled his transcrips for Mckinley, he had a feeling that he and Rachel wouldn't be together much longer after this. But he had somthing else, something Rachel wanted much more than just a boyfriend.

Her Mother.

And he would use that precious bargaining chip as a weapon, a weapon to make Rachel Berry regret she had ever left him for this good for nothing delinquint who had nothing to his name other than a mohawk and temper issues.

**Sooo, whadja think? I got rid of Jesse (per your all's requests), and I'm bringing back puckleberry. Don't worry, there's still plenty more comming in this story, and I hope you all appreciate the fact that I'm posting this at midnight with a sprained wrist lol. soooo, if you want another long freaking chapter almost directly after the other one, Remember than Reviews with actual opinions and ideas really get my creative juices flowing and I pump out chapters way faster than if I'm not inspired...so REVIEW REVEIW REVIEW!**


	11. Really? The Harmonica?

**A/N So, I absolutely love how great all of you have been about reviewing lol, and I'm giving you this chapter in Kurt's POV because some of you have suggested featuring others from the glee club as part of the story. Don't worry, Pucklyberry is heading in the right direction, and this is more of a fluffy chapter than an angsty one :) hereeeee it is...**

Kurt leaned back in the hideous plastic chair as he waited for the start of glee club, and wondered once again how it was possible that Rachel Berry wasn't early as she nearly always was.

She and Puck both had been absent from school for around 3 days, and of course he and Mercedes and Tina had a betting pool going on how long it would take Puck and Berry to come out with their secret relationship, but so far, he didn't think that anything could have affacted Rachel Berry's anal tendancies for being early.

"Hey boy! Do you think the Puckarone's popped Berry's Cherry yet?"

Mercedes's giddy whisper over Kurt's shoulder caused him to turn, a fact he would greatly regret later, considering as how it caused him to miss Rachel's grand enterance. He heard the voices behind him, and turned to see a sight that made him long for a camera.

The glee club's resident diva (right behind his girl mercedes and himself of course), was wearing a pair of designer blue jeans (that were blue jeans nonetheless!), and a regular red tee shirt, a tee shirt that looked suspiciously familiar and much to big for her tiny frame. To top off this odd and ever so fresh look, Berry had the healing remnants of a Black eye, and some type of wrapping on her wrist.

"What on ear-"

Kurt started in, but was cut off by Finn behind him.

"What the Hell Rachel! What happened to you?"

Finn was already up and out of his seat, practically forgetting his pregnant girlfriend sitting right next to him, and approaching Rachel with impressive urgency for the boy who sometimes managed to catch actual flies in his mouth during spanish.

It didn't take Kurt long to realize, that standing directly behind Rachel, in a nearly primal state of protection and devotion, was one Noah Puckerman. Puck actually looked worse than Rachel, but in that ruggedly handsome, beat up, badass guy look that only Puck could pull off correctly.

"Were you guys in a car wreck or something!"

This from Mercedes, who, despite her jealousy and general dislike of Rachel, didn't wish any actual harm on the poor girl. Rachel just replied to the classes overlapping questions with a gentle statement.

"I unwisely tried to get in between a fight when it wasn't my place to intervene, this was simply the consequence-"

"Bull Shit!"

Even though Finn was definitely more Kurt's type, he couldn't help but admit that the sexy protective Alpha Male thing Puck had going on was a major turn on. Puck looked downright pissed, although, Not at Rachel. He continued speaking in that deliciously low voice of his.

"That little Jesse Fucker tried to hit me when my back was turned and nailed Rachel in the face!"

His voice was reaching a dangerously violent pitch, and Kurt could tell the effect that the words had on the guys of the room. Finn, for once, looked downright murderous. Mike and Matt both stood up, looking ready for a fight. And Artie, although incapable of a dramatic physical show of aggression, was wearing a scowl that could all out kill. Even santata, oddly enough, looked up in arms over this blatant show of abuse displayed by Rachel's ex (or at least Kurt hoped he was her ex) boyfriend.

With a look back at Rachel, Kurt understood the cause for his classmates rather violent response. Not once in the entire time Kurt had been attending Mckinley High school, had he seen Rachel Berry this humble. She looked, quite broken to tell the truth, and it caused even a rather catty Kurt pause to regret his treatment of her in the past.

He knew that she was most definitely a drama queen, and harder to deal with than probably any other teenage girl on the planet, but she did seem to genuinely have what was best for the glee club at heart. She had even approached Mr. Schuester about trying to have a bake sale to raise funds for the club, and inadvertantly for Artie's Special bus, because she truly seemed to want the team to stick together.

One glance at a thoughrally leveled Rachel told Kurt that he had been doing a shoddy job at being part of this team, and decided to put a stop it it. Rising above the overlapping voices that filled the room with threats of violence towards Jesse, Kurt stood and said to Puck,

"Puck!"

His voice was quiet loud for such a small boy, and he reveled in his ability to quiet a room.

"I believe I am correct in assuming that you have already punished Jesse in a manner which you deem sufficient?"

The room was silent, and Kurt realized that not all of them had yet caught on to the blossoming signs of love between their glee club's most unlikely couple. Except maybe Artie and Brittney, *scoff* like that would ever happen.

Puck replied through clenched teeth.

"Not as much as I could've-"

Rachel cut him off sweetly, laying her hand on his arm.

"Noah was quite gallant in his defense of me...even if my carpet did suffer for it."

This last part was added almost as an afterstatement, and it took a few moment's before Mercedes voiced the question that was on all of their minds.

"Wait a minute."

Leave it to mercedes to bring her own special version of diva-ness to this situation. She stood, hands on her hips, and asked in her usally loud voice.

"Why were Puck and Jesse even at your house? And why in the _hell_ were they fighting."

Rachel blushed, and Puck answered Mercedes in a steady voice, his eyes never leaving Rachel's ducked head.

"We were making cupcakes for glee club. Rachel spilled some stuff on herself and had to get cleaned up. Jesse walked in on Rachel afterwards and jumped to the wrong conclusions."

Rachel tried to stop Puck with a small noise, but he cut her off gently.

"It's ok babe, they aren't going to judge you."

She just nodded silently as the rest of the room voice their agreements with Puck's previous words, and he continued on with his deliciously juicy retelling of the day's events.

"He started to call Rachel some disrespectful names, so I beat his ass."

He looked abashed for a moment...wait a minute...Noah Puckerman..._Abashed?_

_Damn girl!_

Kurt thought, he had to give her props. She had managed to get this school's resident badass galore wrapped around her finger, and judging by the expression on her face, she had no idea just how whipped he was.

Puck continued, oblivious to the wonderful revelations that Kurt was comming to.

"Then, when Rachel tried to break us up, Jesse lashed out and _accidentally_,"

He said the word like he didn't believe it himself, but Rachel gave him a look and he kept going.

"Got Rachel."

Puck's jaw clenched tightly, and it took him a moment to calm himself before continuing on with his tale.

"Then, she fell and hit her head on the coffee table and got a concussion-"

He was cut off by the noises of shock and concern emmenating from the classroom, but he kept going to finish the story quickly.

"So I got her to the hospital, beat the shit outta Jesse, and stayed with her until she got better and could come back to school."

Kurt watched as the glee class enveloped Rachel into their folds almost simultaneously, asking in concerned voices about her hand, her head, her eye. Puck seemed to be recieving the same treatment, but he brushed it off and directed the unwanted attention towards Rachel, who was standing with an expression of shock and awe at the attention and affection she was recieving from the members of the glee club.

Kurt stood up, with his typical pomp and circumstance, and strode over to the middle of the circle where Rachel was standing, slingling his arm over her shoulders he said,

"Everyone back off. I think our little star needs some space, and preferable some air, so that she can heal properly."

His voice brooked no argument, and the look of shock on Rachel's face was almost comical as Kurt led her over to the seat beside his. He shot Puck a look that said to back off, Rachel was very obviously overwhelmed, and he wouldn't be suprised, with Rachel's tendancy towards overdramaticy, if she fainted from lack of air.

She sat gingerly, and turned a questioning gaze towards Kurt. Just before he could explain himself, Mr. Schuester walked in, and his voice was cut off instantly by the sight of Rachel.

"Allright class, today- Whoa! Rachel, Wha- What happened to you?"

His face was identical to the expressions the class had been wearing not moments before, and Kurt his a smirk at the clueless look that graced the features of their favorite show choir teacher. Rachel explained, in far less words that Puck had, her prediciment.

After making sure that she was allright, Mr. Schuester turned back to the class with renewed vigor towards the day's lesson.

"Ok Class. After Rachel's stuning performance last week, I got an idea."

the class waited with bated breath...it wasn't often that Mr. Schu got inspired by Rachel of all people.

"By a show of hands, I would like to know how many of you play instruments."

Kurt raised his own hand, thinking of the years of piano and violin and piano classes he had taken, and was suprised to see just how many hands were raised. Everyone, excluding Quinn, Santana, and Mercedes had their hands in the air.

Even dimwitted, although charmingly adorable, Brittney had her hand raised high, and Kurt blurted out his question before he had even thought it through,

"You play an instrument Brittney?"

She nodded vehemently, her blond pony tail bouncing violently with the movement.

"Uh huh."

Kurt waited a moment, when it became clear she would need further encouragement, he asked again.

"_Which _instrument Brittney?"

She smiled in a smug, very self confidant manner, then said in a firm voice.

"The harmonica."

Mr. Schu sighed almost inaudibly, but Kurt still caught it, then said.

"That's great Brittney, but I mean an instrument that you could play along with the rest of the class. You know...with real songs."

Brittney's smile never faltered.

"I can do that."

Mr. Schu just rubbed his forehead.

"I'm sure you can Brittney, but I meant something that you've taken lessons for, you know, that you've learned over the years."

Brittney's brows furrowed, and she said stubbornly.

"I know that Mr. Schuester. I'm _really good_ at the harmonica."

Before Mr. Schu could shoot her down again, Puck pulled a little black box out of the side of his backpack, and tossed it to Brittney. She, of course, wasn't expecting it. And it landed on the floor next to her feet. But after leaning over and retrieving it, the class realized what it was. A Harmonica.

She opened the little black box, and took out the shiny silver instrument, holding it in her hands like an old friend. Before Kurt could shudder at the idea that she was about to put _someone elses_ harmonica in her mouth, she was already wailing out the notes to a song that sounded suspiciously like an old Brittney Spears song.

The class sat with their mouths open, gaping at this newly discovered talent in their midst.

When she was finished, they all applauded, even Mr. Schuester.

"Wow! I'm sorry for doubting you Brittney."

Mr. Schu was grinning ear to ear.

"I'm truly impressed with your skill."

Brittney just gave him her signiture airy smile, and put the little silver music maker back in the box, passing it down to Puck.

"Students,"

Mr. Schu started back in.

"Students, I think that was a prime example of unexplored musical talents that we have yet to uncover in this club. And starting today, I would like to put together several pieces that showcase you all individually based on your particullar talents, instrumentally, or other wise. Mike, I was thinking we could put together a special dance piece for you, especially considering that Vocal adrenaline has nothing like that in their midst."

Mike grinned widely, and got several high fives and fist bumps from the guys around him. It was about time he got some recognition for his skill.

Kurt leaned back in his seat, as always, his ego perking up at the sound of the word "showcase". He cast a sideways glance at the battered looking jew beside him, and was suprised at the lack of enthusiam. The rest of the students seemed to be thinking the same thing, because usually Rachel was the first one to jump in with ideas and suggestions for the week's assignment.

But before any of them could comment, Mr. Schu had already continued on the days lesson, asking for ideas of songs they could play together.

And, for once, the only silent person in the room, was Rachel Berry?

That was it. Something was fucking wrong. And Kurt, for one, intended to find out what, and put a stop to it.

**Sooo, whadja think? did you like Kurt's POV? remember REVIEW REVIEW REVIEW! :) it helps me give you the long chapters. :)**


	12. One last night of Rachel Berry

**A/N I'm sorry it took me so long to get this up...I've been pretty busy, but I want you to know that some of the crazy shit that happens in this chapter is only leading towards the ending, and I wanted to remind you that I am PUCKLEBERRY lol :) **

**And... I want to give a special shout out to _Vanesseray_, You're kinda freakin awesome and I read, then re-read the reveiws you leave, beacause they're well thought out and awesome lol :)**

**Hereeeee the chapter is ...**

Shelby Cochran wasn't a happy camper.

Not at all.

At the moment, she was beyond pissed off. She had trused Jesse to get close to Rachel, find out about her, allow Shelby to live vicariously through him until she could find some way to convince Rachel to come to her.

What she hadn't counted on, was Jesse forming an _actual_ romantic interest in her daughter. Looking back on her actions, she was ashamed that she had put Jesse in that position in the first place, considering he _was_ effectively leading her daughter on.

_I really would have made a horrible mother._

Shelby sighed at her morose thoughts. They were true, but nonetheless, they stung.

She hadn't even imagined that Jesse, famed womanizer galore, would actually be the one to get the slip. Of all people. But that didn't excuse his actions.

1: Flying into a jealous rage towards Rachel's ex boyfriend.  
2: Making a scene and trying to beat up said ex boyfriend in Rachel's home.  
3: Hitting Rachel!

After Shelby had gotten over her initial shock and anger at Jesse's actions, she had sat down and caught her breath at her lack of motherly protection towards the beautiful talented girl that was her daughter just as clearly as looking in a mirror.

Shelby had realized with painfull and horrible suprise, that she _had_ a daughter. But truthfully, she _wasn't_ a mom. She didn't have a bond, or a close friendship, or even a relationship with the child that was a part of her body. But with Jesse's help, she had thought she maybe had a second chance.

She knew now that Jesse probably hadn't been the best choice, but he was the one she had made, and now, she had to stick with him to see this plan through.

The first order of business would be to get Jesse back into Rachel's life.

The rest could come after that.

* * *

Puck found himself curled up on the Berry's soft suede couch, with a very tiny, sleepy, dopy Rachel curled into his side. He hadn't counted on getting this lucky with the painkillers the hospital had given Rachel, but her Dad's had pulled some strings with the doctor, who they apparently knew personally, in order in ensure that their precious daughter suffered as little as possible as her burn and swollen head healed.

After comming back to her senses, or rather, her Rachel-ness, she had chewed him out for beating Jesse inside her house, failing to understand his lack of ability to control himself, or at least take it outside. Puck didn't exactly know how to tell her that he had exerted every tiny morsel of self control he had in his entire body, just not _killing_ Jesse, and that the little shit was lucky that he had gotten off as lucky as he did, just a few stitched, a couple bruised ribs, and some scratches. Nothing to worry about.

Nonetheless, Puck had apologized profusely for resorting to such "chauvinistic and overly violent methods" (even though he didn't mean a word of it), considering that he would do anything to make his temperamental, and at the moment drugged up, girl happy.

At the moment, they were watching re-runs of golden girls (and he would deny it till the day he died, but he actually loved the show), and waiting for the cupcakes to get done. This time, Rachel had wised up, and handed over the baking mantle to Puck, who was definitely far more apt to create an palatable product, and not a burnt/un-edible mess.

"Noah."

Her voice was slurred and breathy with sleep, he tried to ignore the uncomfortable stirring caused by that particular voice, but her next line shot that noble effort all to hell.

"Am I yours?"

He tried to keep from shifting and causing her discomfort, but he really didn't know how comfortable she would be, resting on a rock hard boner, which she would definitely be doing if she kept up this line of inquiry. With much effort, he replied in a somewhat shaky voice.

"What?"

Ok, so it wasn't _that_ hard to get one word out steadily...but unless you were a very horny puck, with a very sexy and dopey Rachel Berry on your lap, you didn't have anywhere to judge.

She shifted, and he realized any effort he made just wasn't gonna work, there was no denying it, Rachel Berry had gotten him hard with one question...well, that and a few unwisely positioned movements.

"Everybody at school says that we're together now, and you kissed me, and you beat up Jesse, but-"

She cut herself off, and she let out a silly, girly giggle, that had Puck grinning. She was so fucking high. It took her a moment, but she seemed to recover her train of thought after a moment.

"Oh, Yeah."

She grinned.

"But you kiss every girl!"

Her voice and features were animated, and she threw her hands up in the air to both punctuate her sentence, and presumably, to emphasize her point. Although, at that moment, Puck strongly doubted how much though was going into any of her statements, and he knew he was treading on careful water as he replied, trying his hardest to taper down the anger and remorse bubbling in his chest, and causing all kids of unpleasant sensations.

"Rachel, darlin'"

Her unpolished, genuine, lopsided Jew grinn stretched out across her face. And Puck caught his breath at just how beautiful Rachel Berry really was.

Then she hiccuped, effectively jolting Puck out of his I'm-a-pussy-who-gave-his-balls-to-rachel-berry, asshole.

"I already explained it to you,"

He tried to keep the patronizing tone out of his voice, he really didn't know if it was possible to successfully deal with a Rachel Berry who was both drugged up, and pissed off. *shudder*

"You're right, I've done stuff with other girls."

Puck tried his hardest not to grin at the adorable pout that graced her lips at this statement, then continued.

"But Rachel, You're the only one who matters to me."

Even he realized just how fucking cliche it was, but his voice was low and gentle, and even he recognized the vulnerability that was evident in him at this moment. He had just laid himself bare in front of Rachel Berry, had essentially given her a part of himself, and he knew that he was never going to get it back.

So Puck hoped for both their sakes that she never left him, because she would most definitely would own that piece of Noah Puckerman for the rest of her life.

She gave him a drowsy grin and reached up to cup his jaw with her tiny velvet hand. He shuddered as she ran the smooth pads of her fingers across his course stubble, and invonuntarilly leaned into her palm, enjoying her gentle pressure against his sensitive nerves, nearly groaning as her hand trailed downwards to slide along his neck.

"Noah..."

Her voice was an innocent childish whisper.

"Mmm Hmm."

He murmured.

She pulled him down by the back of his neck, and he leaned foward willingly, thinking she was going to kiss him. Instead, she stopped him, only a breath short of his lips, and whispered in a voice so quiet he barely caught the words as her sweet breath skimmed across his lips, causing him to feel light headed and the blood to run hot in his viens.

"I love you."

And then she was asleep, her hand going limp against the back of his neck, fingers loosening against the back of his mohawk which Noah realized she had been clutching softly.

He felt a shuddering breath leave his body as he sat up gingerly, trying carefully to not disturb the tiny sleeping jew in his lap.

Then he said in a voice to loud and low for the heady ambiance of the room.

"I love you too Rachel Berry...More than you know."

He leaned back, this time able to succesfully block out the fact that the side of Rachel's head was laying in his lap, and exhaled heavily as he realized just how fucked he was. There were so many factors that were wrong with this couple.

She was leaving Lima, for good, as soon as she graduated high school.  
She was by far more talented that Puck could ever dream to be, he would only drag her down.  
She was a fucking virgin (which wasn't so much a problem so much as another reason she was better than him)

-Oh and the cherry on the fucking top-

He was the father to Quinn's baby!

Noah realized with a sickining drop in his stomach, that he was going to have to tell Rachel about the baby. He couldn't lie to her, not if he really loved her. And Puck Fucking loved Rachel Berry. Not that this newly discovered fact did anything to soften the sharp sting of reality when it came to Quinn.

Noah' mind formed a thousand different scenarios in which he broke the news to her, some gently, some blunt and straightfoward, all of them equally horrible and agonizing to watch, even in his mind.

Rachel crying and accusing him of using her.  
Rachel flying into a rage and slapping him.  
Rachel choosing the high road and gently telling him that he wasn't good enough for her, a fact he already knew.  
Rachel standing still in shock, mouth open, brown eyes nearly black with accusation.

And all of these nightmares ended the same sickining way, with Rachel leaving, walking, storming, running out the door, and never looking back on the boy she loved in high school.

*Buzz Buzz*

_Think of the devil,_

Thought Noah Bitterly, when he flipped open his phone to find a text from none other than Quinn herself.

_Are you and Berry a thing?__  
~Q_

Despite the fact that he couldn't see her face, Puck could perfectly imagine the stuck up distaste formed by Quinn's porcelain face as her eyebrows arched in a familiar fashion and her nose crinkled up. He fired back a text that would never crossed the mind of the old Puck, the guy always out for revenge, always wanting to stick it to the people that crossed him.

_It doesn't matter Quinn, you're with Finn, and he's gonna be the "father" of your baby  
~P_

He wasn't exactly anxious for her reply, for some reason he had a sick feeling in his stomach that told him something wasn't right.

_Not for long  
~Q_

Noah gasped, his stomach clenching in an entirely unpleasant way, nothing like how he felt about Rachel.

_Explain  
~P_

This time he was more than anxious, he didn't know what was going on, but he had a feeling that no matter what, things were about to go down hill fast. And he couldn't help but glance down at his beautiful sleeping jew, and cringe at the thought of what Quinn could do to their newly blossoming relationship.

The text came slower than he would have liked, and at the same time, way to fast.

_Finn told my parents, WITH A FREAKING SONG! Then they kicked me out of the house. I lost it Puck! I told Finn everything, and now we're over. You told me that you'd be with me, you PROMISED that you's be the father my baby needs if I asked you. I'm asking you.  
~Q_

It was like Puck's world stopped. He felt every muscle in his body tense, and then go slack with the sickining realization that it had all gone to shit. Everything. Redemption. Hope. Rachel.

Every good thing she had brought into his life had been crushed with one text, just a couple words had contained the power to level everything that Puck had allowed himself to believe in for the last few days.

Just then, Rachel shifted in her sleep, her head turning so that her face turned up towards Puck, and she murmered out on word in her drug effected, sleepy voice.

"Noah."

He felt his jaw tense, and the tension in his body, if unleashed, could probably break bones. He felt a hot stinging sensation on the back of his eye lids, and realized with horror that he was about to cry. He knew that as a badass, this went against everything he was supposed to stand for, but there was only so much a man could take, even the strongest of men. Because in the end, every man had a breaking point.

Right at that moment, Puck had realized that the knowledge that the small, innocent, treasure of a girl laying in his lap, murmuring his name and telling him that she loved him, would never be his, had been his breaking point.

His jaw clenched and unclenched, as silent sobs racked his large form. He was less gentle, but still careful, as he pulled Rachel up closer to his body, wrapping his arms around her, clutching her up against his chest.

By some gracious twist of fate, she never woke, and instead slept peacefully through Noah's crying bout. After an indeterminate time had passed, the sobs slowed, then ceased to exist. And as his breathing regulated, Noah realized he felt empty. As if, despite how closely he was holding her, Rachel was father away than ever. Because Noah knew that right now, she was happy, she was off in dreamland imagining them together, knowing that she loved him.

And Puck felt like more an asshole than ever before, as he held her, knowing that as soon as she woke, all of her pleasant dreams would be smashed, would cease to exist, and she would either hate him, mourne him, or shut him out completely. Any of these things would be equally painful, as if someone had reached their hand into his chest, and quite literally pulled his beating bloody heart out of his chest.

But as cruel as he knew it was, as selfish as he realized he was being, Puck longed for one more night with her.

He laid her down on the large, soft, inviting couch, and found himself next to her. Spooning wouldn't be the correct term considering that his form nearly dwarphed hers in comparrison. But her enveloped her small form with his body, folding her into himself, offering all the protecting, love, and warmph he could, before he knew they would be ripped apart, perhaps forever.

The pain was physical and intense, as slow running tears dampened Rachel's mahogany hair, and Puck drifted off to the gracious sleep of the dead. But like with all sleep, he knew as he was nearly gone that he would have to wake, and that it would be the first, and last time he woke up next to Rachel Berry.

* * *

**Soooo, please don't hate me lol, things WILL work out okkk :) this is just leading towards a conclusion, so reveiw and let me know what you think, ok, it inspires me. **


	13. Fainting For Real

**A/N Hope you like it, a lot of things come out in this chapter, and I hope you like it...**

**P.S. WHOO HOOOOOO 100 REVIEWS! U ROCK! :D**

Rachel entered school that day, knowing something was dreadfully wrong.

That morning, upon waking, she had found Puck sleeping beside her with tell-tale red, mottled, eyes that told her he had been crying. She wondered what could have happened in the few short hours she hadn't been conscious that could have led him to such an uncharacteristic show of emotions, she had planned on asking him about it, but he had left quickly, mumbling some excuse about football, before she had gotten the chance.

Now she sat in first period, anxiously tapping her pencil against the time ravaged textbook, worrying about anything she could have possible said in her foggy, drugged up state last night that could have potentially upset him. Then, in a startling moment of remembrance, Rachel recalled the words she had uttered the previous night, before effectively passing out in his lap.

_I Love You_

She sucked in a sharp gasp, loud enough to attract the attention of the students around her, and found that her body was lurching to a standing position without the acquiescence of her brain or any other sensible part of her body.

"Miss. Berry? Is there anything wrong?"

The teacher's gently phrased question seemed to be the straw on the camel's back, and Rachel found, to her great horror and embarrassment, that tears were stinging the back of her eyelids and threatening to pour out the corners at any moment.

"I-"

She blushed at the choke in her voice, betraying her weakness of emotion, then quickly replied,

"I don't feel to well, I think I need to go to the nurse's office."

If it was any student other than Rachel Berry, the teacher would have been skeptical at the least at such an abrupt and strange change of temperament. But Rachel was the only girl in her class, and possibly the whole school, that could be counted on to religiously earn A's and do any and all extra credit work that was offered. So without any further thought, the teacher allowed the request, because if anyone had earned an unquestioned break, it was Rachel.

Rachel murmured a quick 'thank you' and was out the door in a flash, trying her hardest not to hyperventilate as she stumbled down the hall, trying to get her bearings on the sickening realization she had just come across.

She had told Noah that she loved him.  
She had fallen asleep on his lap.  
He had cried.  
He had left in a hurry without a real explanation.

These things had to be connected, and they were all started by the three words that had effectively laid bare her carefully guarded emotions.

Rachel entered the girls bathroom, expecting solitude, and was unpleasantly surprised to find that this was not the case. Standing over the sink, splashing her face and mouth with water, with unusually gaunt features, dark rings under her green eyes, and what looked like the remnants of tears running down her cheeks, was Quinn Fabray.

It appeared as if she had just been vomiting, and she washed her hands three times before she realized there was someone else in the room with her.

At the recognition of another presence, Quinn turned, ready to lash into whoever dared encroach on her supposedly private time of self pity. When she saw it was Rachel, and noticed Rachel's obvious state of disarray, she felt an uncharacteristic shock of guilt.

Then, when she thought of Finn, and the thoughtless actions he had taken with her parents that had brought her world crashing down, she couldn't help but feel some of the old familiar bitterness she felt toward Rachel bubble up. Rachel's next words didn't help anything either.

"Shouldn't you be in class? With Finn?"

Quinn's face hardened, not an umfamiliar sight on the pretty girl, and she answered in an unusually biting voice,

"No, Berry, shouldn't you be with Puck? Oh wait..."

She let her voice trail of suggestively, and watched the horror and pain flit across Rachel's features, knowing exactly what her implication would do to the ever so overdramatic girl.

"You- You know something about what happened his morning?"

It took Quinn a moment to realize what Rachel must be referring to, and when she did, it didn't help ease the unfamiliar feeling of guilt, and self doubt that sat like a rock in Quinn's now occupied tummy. Rachel must of seem Puck this morning, and he probably wasn't himself due to their conversation last night.

Quinn answered, this time more gently.

"If I were you Berry, I'd give up on Puck, he's got more shit than you know how to deal with."

And on that vague note, Quinn exited the bathroom, hurriedly trying to get back to class, and some semblance of normalcy, only just beginning to realize the effects that her and Puck's actions would take on the people around them.

Rachel remained in the bathroom until the end of first period. When the familiar crowd of girls flooded in, eager to primp and gossip before their next class, Rachel exited into the halls, still contemplating Quinn's troubling words.

Did Noah have some huge secret he wasn't telling her? Obviously he and Quinn were closer that Rachel had previously realized. They would have to be for Quinn to know the reason behind Noah's foul mood when he hadn't even bothered to tell Rachel what was going on.

She didn't even realize where her feet were carrying her until she arrived in front of Puck's locker. She hadn't had a chance to recognize it this morning, but something more than just some puffy eyes was off about her usually carefree Noah. The easy, confident, self assurance that was his badass trademark was conspicuously absent this morning, and his eyes were bloodshot, showing sure signs of stress far beyond just her dopey admission of love.

He released a heavy sigh upon seeing her, running his large hand over his face, and saying lowly

"Hey...I- I can't talk right now."

She opened her mouth to reply, but before she could, he was off, striding quickly down the hall, anxious to get away from the questions he wasn't ready to answer. He wanted at least till glee club before it all came crumbling down.

* * *

Rachel figited uncomfortably in her seat, anxious for Mr. Schuester to call class to order so all the uncomfortable murmurs around her would cease.

Something was wrong. She could feel in in the air. All the tension, the whispers, all the covert glances and guilty looks when they were caught were starting to grate on her nerves.

Nor had it slipped Rachel's attention that neither Quinn, Finn, Or Puck were in class yet. Just as soon as she thought this, Finn entered the room. He looked like shit to put it nicely. His eyes and Noah's probably matched, at least in the sense that they both were red rimmed and obviously bloodshot. And Rachel remembered how Quinn had looked in the bathroom earlier that day, finally putting together that all of these incidents were connected.

Finn shot Rachel and indicernable look that was some sort of mixture between pity, anger, and grief. Rachel grew uncomfortable under his intense scrutiny, and turned back towards the door, just in time to see Quinn and Noah enter...side by side...neither of them looking particularly happy.

Noah's eyes went directly to hers, and she read in them all she needed to know. It was an apology, a deep, sincere, and heartbreaking apology. Rachel looked back towards Finn to see his posture go rigid, his jaw harden, and a suspicious shine enter his eyes. It was something like jealousy, but more akin to rage.

Noah didn't say a word to her, and she honestly didn't know if she wanted him to, before he sat down beside Quinn, his posture awkard and uncomfortable. It was if he would rather be anywhere else in the world beside the seat beside her, but some invisible force was causing him to remain by Quinn's side.

After the clenching in her stomach evolved into actual physical pain, Rachel turned away. It was obvious Mr. Schuester was going to be late, probaly in Miss Pillsbury's office asking for advice on glee club as yet another bad excuse to flirt.

Then, just when Rachel didn't think the tension could get any more awkard, there was a loud sound from the squeaking of Finn's chair as he stood up with force, saying

"Are we really all gonna sit here like we don't all know something's wrong!"

His voice was loud, and Rachel flinched at the uncharachteristically harsh tone comming from the usually gentle giant's mouth. He continued though, as if somehow getting everything out in the open would be the release he so desperately needed.

"Most of you are sitting in here acting like you have no idea what's going on when I know you all have the same fucking texts on your phone telling you all about our little soap opera drama right here in Mckinley High."

Then, Finn was interrupted by Puck, and Rachel's head snapped in the direction of the familiar, much loved voice, of the boy that she had told she loved him.

"Finn."

His voice was dangerous...a warning in itself.

"I know you're really pissed, and you have every right to be-"

Finn cut him off with a harsh snort that might have been a laugh at one point.

"Are you kidding me! Of course I have every right to be. You're both fucking liars and I-"

Noah interrupted, nearing Finn with a murderous expression on his face, eyes flitting back and forth between Rachel and his ex-best friend.

"This isn't the way she needs to hear it Finn."

Finn followed Puck's line of sight, and when his eyes landed on a very confused and wide eyed Rachel, an actuall laugh, albiet sharp and hard, left his lips, before he said,

"Wait! Are you serious!"

Another laugh, they were beginning to sound less like laughs and more like sharp barks, but not even Puck could stop him now.

"You haven't even told her yet? I thought you guys were fucking, and if that wasn't bad enough, you didn't even tell you knocked-"

His voice was cut off by Puck's hard arm slamming into his windpipe and pressing him up against the wall. Now that Rachel's mind had processed the words, she realized that the annoying screeching she had been hearing in the back of her mind was Quinn's high pitched cried, and Miss Pillsbury's screams.

She watched in horror as Mr. Schuester tried to physically remove Noah from Finn, probably worried for the taller boy's life, and was aided in his attempt by Mike Chang, who just looked excited to be in on the action for once.

Finn fell to the floor, gasping with relief. But it was obvious the neither Mike or Mr. Schuester had anything to do with Noah's release of Finn, but that it had been his choice.

"What!"

Mr. Schu's voice was loud and commanding,

"Is going on here?"

There were a few indiscriminate murmurs, and both Noah and Finn had their eyes locked on a very flustered looking Quinn.

She raise her eyes and said in a small voice.

"I'm pregnant."

Rachel's eyes flew open, she hadn't seen that one comming. Mr. Schuester didn't look that suprised however, and none of the students seemed to be taken aback. Once again, Rachel seemed to be the only one left out of the loop. Poor Quinn.

Her next sentance however produced the reaction she was waiting for from the classroom. And she felt her knee's buckle underneath her body.

"Puck's the father."

**Sooooo, Ideas? Comments? lol, just remember if you want another chapter REVIEW!REVIEW!REVEIEW! :)**


	14. Father

**A/N Hey :) I tried to get this out as fast as I could, but, I'm sorry to say that all the Puck/Rachel/Jesse/Finn/Quinn/Shelby drama isn't resolved in this chapter. But, really? What would be the fun in that? Lol, I'd also like to point out that it is 105 FUCKING DEGREES! outside, in stupid Tennessee, and that just holding my laptop on my lap right now is taxing for my health...so without further ado...**

Mercedes sat with her mouth hanging open, along with the rest of glee club, as Rachel Berry was officially coronated the drama queen of Mckinley high.

It wasn't that Rachel overreacted, hell, Mercedes would be laying into Puck all Madea style by now, just that it was Rachel all the juicy stuff happened to.

As soon as Rachel's form began to slump to the floor, Puck was by her side. In a motion so fast it belied his large form, He caught her from behind before she managed to injure herself...again.

"Kurt!"

Mr. Schuester's unusually authoritative voice rang out loudly.

"Go get the nurse."

Kurt flashed a look towards Mercedes that told her she was to carefully document everything he missed in order to repeat it to him much later, in detail. Mercedes flashed him a subtle wink before he offered Mr. Schu a quick nod and ran out the door.

After checking Rachel's pulse to make sure that everything was running smoothly, Puck glanced up, and for the first time that day, Mercedes really looked at him.

He looked paler than usual, the dark rings underneath his eyes matched those of both Quinn (for whom she had little simpathy at the moment,) and Finn (who was probably the one who got the most screwed over in all of this shit). After making sure Rachel was alive and all that, Mr. Schu called out,

"Finn, Quinn, Puck! In my office. Now!"

Finn and Quinn shuffled stiffly from opposite sides of the room, Finn having been standing over Rachel with a concerned, strained expression, that belied the intense discomfort he felt by simply being near Puck. Honestly, Mercedes didn't blame the poor boy. Both Quinn and Finn were trying awkwardly, to follow Mr. Schuester's request without actually coming within 3 feet of the other. Puck on the other hand, looked immovable, and only a slight shake of his head gave any inclination that he had heard Mr. Schu's command at all.

"Puck!"

With obvious effort, Puck tore his intense gaze away from the unconscious Rachel in his arms, and up towards Mr. Schu. The stubborn set of his jaw and the hard glaze over his mossy eyes, told Mercedes that this boy wasn't going anywhere.

_Hmm, Good. Boy owes her at least that much after knocking up Quinn. _

Mercedes wasn't the first one to speak out however, it was Tina.

"P-Puck, why would you do that to R-Rachel? O-or Finn?"

The shy asian's innocently phrased question only put voice to what the entire class was thinking at that moment. Puck's head shot back up, his face looking vicious and ready to deal out a verbal lashing. But when he absorbed just what the girl was saying, he didn't have anything to say, because in reality, there wasn't any good answer to that question. Instead, he lowered his head into his hands, groaning, and wishing for the ump-teenth time that he hadn't come to school at all that day.

"Guys I- I didn't plan on keeping it from Rachel...and Finn,"

He paused, recieving no assuring glances from any of his fellow glee club members, all of whom were feeling more partiality towards Rachel than they ever had before, only beginning to realize just what she meant to them personally, and not just as part of the group.

"I don't have an excuse for what I did to Finn. Quinn and I, we made a mistake."

As soon as the words were out his mouth, Mercedes had already started in on the perfunctory rant that was expected of her, considering as how the glee club's resident drama queen was indesposed at the moment.

"Listen here white boy,"

Mercedes knew that Puck was Jewish, same as Rachel, but that was still whiter than her. And her chocolate thunder wasn't just gonna sit here and listen to him make bullshit excuses about something that could affect - even essentially ruin - their glee club.

"What you did with Quinn, that was jacked-up."

She wished Kurt was behind her to throw in the expected ' uhh huh ' But Mike Chang filled in for him, only slightly less sassy and with a smidge more asian thrown in, Mercedes continued,

"But then...you went after Rachel?"

Mercedes's voice was incredulous, and becomming more affected by her attidude and general sassiness.

"That was just downright _wrong."_

She felt the agreement of the class behind her, even if no one was speaking up about it.

"I mean, what can you possible have to say for yourself?"

There was a tense silence as Puck absored her blunt words, and it grew even more tense as he failed to reply. This was understandabe, considering that at that particular moment, it was as if someone had shoved a handfull of dog biscuts past his lips, causing all of the moisture in his mouth and his ability to open and close his jaw to fail simultaneously.

He simply sat, regret and grief coloring his speckled, dusky, emerald eyes, as he cradled the unconscious girl in his arms.

Suprisingly, the next club member to speak, was Santana.

"Ok, it's my turn to throw a stone."

The usual sarcasym in her tone took on a biting tone as she addressed the glee club's resident baby daddy. And every eye in the room was on the fiesty latina as she, of all people, started to deal out judgement on Puck.

"Now I don't give a shit you knocked up Quinn, I mean, she should know by now to use protection. But really? This had to have been while we were fucking dating?"

The glee club let out a unanimous sigh as Santana's usual self absorbtion, but was further suprised at her next words.

"But Berry? Really? Of all people Puck? I mean you were with me, then 16 and pregnant over there,"

She motioned toward Mr. Schu's office, where Quinn and Finn could be viewed sitting awkardly, obviously in an uncomfortable discussion with both him, and Miss Pillsbury, and Santana continued.

"But she's like the most stuck up, goody two shoes, virgin mary, there is at the school!"

Her voice rose in pitch, and her train of thought was starting to confuse Mercedes, who couldn't understand what was getting the bitchy cheerleader so riled up. It wasn't like she had any particular affection for Rachel, so she really didn't have any reason to play the girl's advocate. But Santana wasn't done yet.

"I mean, you could have started fucking any skank in the whole school! But you just had to go and fuck up the one chick who happened to be a perfect angel?"

_Angel?_

Mercedes thought...was that Jealousy in Santana's voice? Was she jealous..._of Rachel?_

"What kind of person are you?"

By this time Santana was standing, and her voice had become increasingly accented with her anger and she practically shouted out her last words.

There wasn't a soul in the room, barring Rachel of course, whose eyes weren't trained, wide with shock, on the unexpected outburst from the unlikely accuser in their midst. Then, without warning, a small voice said in a wavery tone, answering that angry girl's previous question.

"A father."

It was Rachel! Every eye swung back towards the previously unconscious girl, and Puck's grip visibly tightened, probably an automatic response, but Rachel winced none the less. He loosened his hold, eyes wide with panic as he stared down at the girl who was already looking up towards him.

Her eyes filled with tears. Real. Tears. And any and all resentment Mercedes had ever felt towards the girl she had always regaurded as her biggest competition in this club melted away, and it was almost palpable that the rest of the club was having the same reaction, as they watched the pitifull sight of the small girl, weakly pushing away from an obviously crushed Puck, and standing uncertainly to face them all.

"He's a father. That's what kind of person he is. And it doesn't matter how it got that way, but only that it is that way."

The dignity in her posture, humbled as she was, was certainly something you had to be there to truly understand. Because the heartache she was inevitibly feeling was evident in every muscle , every barely restrained sob she had tapered down, every unshed tear collecting at the edge of her liquid brown eyes. And yet, she managed out one last thing before Kurt arrived with a very lazy, and very irritated nurse, that he had managed to pry away from her lunch time soap opera.

"Please you guys...if you're going to blame Noah, or be mad at him...don't let it be on my account. Let it be for Finn...or Quinn even."

Mercedes rolled her eyes at that ridiculous thought. Her...be angry for Quinn...like Hell.

Rachel exchanged one last look at Puck, and it was like they had an entire conversation in that moment. It almost felt like the class was intruding on a private moment, and the intensity of both their looks sobered the already tense atmosphere in the choir room, before Rachel turned back to the class and delieverd her final stantment.

"It's my own damn fault."

Her voice was firm, with only the tiniest hint of a waver at the end betraying her actual emotional state, which must have be a wreck all things considered.

Just then, Kurt arrived, practically dragging Mrs. Schuester's new replacement as the new nurse. She gave the room a quick one over, her eyes narrowing in on a very bedraggled looking Rachel, with her unkempt hair and leftover cast.

As soon as the nurse arrived, it seemed, Rachel was already following her out the door. Kurt trailing close behind, his hand on the small of her back, as if to steady her. And the clases attention turned back to Puck, only to find that he had exited through the other door.

* * *

_*Buzz Buzz*_

Jesse felt his phone vibrate in his pocket and reached down eagerly, smiling at the name on the front of the screen, hoping for good news in regaurde to plan B, which Shelby had devised as a method to reach Rachel. Jesse , however, had other intentions towards his choir director's daughter, containing plans of revenge against a certain over-muscled jew who was turning out to me more trouble that he was worth.

_Jacob Ben-Israel_

He had enlisted the help of the geeky perv from Rachel's school as a means of keeping tabs on the developments of New Directions, and Rachel's love life of course.

As he eagerly scanned over the text, his already smug grin widened into a smile of exhaultation, as he barked out a laugh.

The fates were on his side, in this situation at least, because it seemed that Rachel and Puckerman were no more, and to make it even better, it was on account of Puckerman having knocked up one particular Quinn Fabray, current (or not so current) girlfriend of Finn, who may or may not have been one of Rachel's old crushes.

Taking into account his ex (though not for long) girlfriend's flair for the dramatic, Jesse was assuming that at this moment, Rachel was holed up somewhere with doens of broadway classic dvds and a boatload of expensive vegan ice cream. She was undoubtely heartbroken, and in direct relation to that, vulnerable.

Jesse felt a slight pang of guilt thinking of how much of a vulture he was turning out to be, but until recently, he had begun to think he would never meet his match, never find someone who was his equal in both talent and drive, that was, until he had met Rachel.

Unfortunately, the circumstances surrounding their meeting, weren't exactly kosher (no pun intended), and he knew that if he was going to get her back, he was definitely going to have to pull out his secret weapon.

Shelby.

Because if there was anything a heartbroken teenage girl like Rachel needed more that the affore mentioned movies and disgusting non-dairy frozen treats...it was a mother.

And a mother happened to be the one thing that Jesse could offer, that no one else could.

He found himself humming the Jackson 5's _I want you back_, nearly laughing in glee at his own cleverness, and the hope that his plan to recapture the affections of Rachel Berry, were beginning to fall back into place.

Although, unbeknownst to him, his gleefull chuckle came out sounding more like a madman's cackle, as he effectively planned the greatest con of his life.

**Don't worry! Don't worry! I give you my solemn promise that Rachel's not gonna be an idiot and fall for Jesse again, and I PROMISE that my least favorite couple in glee is Quinn/Puck, so I promise that they are NOT staying together. But I didn't want to make things to easy, because then I'd have to wrap this story up to fast, and to be honest, I have nothing else to do this summer lol :) **

**Sooooo, remember to REVIEW REVIEW REVIEW!**

** P.S. I've really been wanting to do a one shot (never done one before), and I'd like some inspiration for it, so just P.M. Me if you have an Idea and I'll dedicate it to you...whoever you are...ok :) lol I'm _finally_ done :)**

**P.P.S**

**REVIEW!REVIEW!REVIEW! **


	15. Giving upNot giving up

**Hello there my lovelies :) I want you to know that I wrote this entire fucking chapter in one sitting, and that I did it all for my lovely reviewers. So I answer some questions you have been asking in this chapter, both about Rachel, and Puck, and the Quinn/Puck situation :) This is the chapter where things start taking a look up for all the characters, and I hope you like it...soooooo here it is :)**

Rachel remained in the Nurse's office for as long as possible. That turned out to be about 5 minutes after the bell rung and the unwilling, ill tempered, high school nurse (dressed in what looked like a bad halloween costume) ran out the door, purse in hand, telling Rachel to turn the lights off when she left.

Rachel hopped off the bench and sighed, wondering for the hunderendth time how it had come about that all the drama was happening to her. She couldn't deny that some small part of her was reveling in the broadway quality of it all, bad boy likes good girl, gets into fight, shocking secret comes out into open, unlikely couple torn apart-

Rachel felt a stabbing sensation in her chest at that thought.

_Torn apart_

Very apt description of Rachel's physical state. Because at that moment, Rachel felt as if something had been quite literally ripped out of her body, leaving an aching, gaping hole it it's wake. Because up until this moment, Rachel hadn't realized just how entertwinded she had allowed herself to become with Noah. She had realized her feelings for him were strong, growing, and up until an hour ago, she thought they were very simple and straightfoward.

Now, Rachel didn't know how she felt.

She knew, of course, that she still loved him. Unfortunately, she never did anything halfheartedly, and loving another person wasn't an exception. No matter how much Noah had (how would he phrase this?), Fucked up, she knew that she still loved him, and all that knowledge did was cause the pain she was feeling to double, intensifying the urge she was feeling to vomit.

That line of thought reminded her of Quinn, her once hard to understand words in the girls bathroom, and the almost appologetic expression on the pretty girl's face as she left. All of this brought Rachel back to the thought her mind was purpously trying to skirt around.

_Quinn was carrying Noah's baby._

Rachel sucked in an audibly sharp gasp, doubling over, clutching her stomach to keep from sobbing. She had done enough of that lately. Never before in her life could Rachel claim to have felt this many things at one time. And that was saying something, considering that she was a ridiclously talented, beautiful, nerdy, abrasive, teehage girl, who happened to be the adopted daughter of two gay dads, without any mother to speak of. And at the moment, she was being fought over by a two teenage boys, one the star singer of a competing show choir, the other her former bully who just so happened to be a huge, sexy, talented, Jewish hunk.

Somewhere in the back of her mind, Rachel had been hoping that Puck would seek her out after class, try to find her and explain all this, apologize, anything! But no!

Honestly, Rachel couldn't fault him for that. She knew going into all this just what kind of guy Noah Puckerman was. He had no father to speak of, and despite his obviously strong sense of loyalty, he was still just a teenage boy who didn't need the responsibility of the world on his shoulders. And now that all the craziness with Quinn and his unborn child had come out in the open, the last thing that Noah Puckerman needed was a high maintenance, needy, borderline obsessive personality type girlfriend to add on to his already crushing load of responsibilities.

No.

So for once, Rachel made a decision that had nothing to do with herself, her career, her happiness, or anything she wanted.

She decided to give up. To give up Noah. Any and all plans she had for the two of them together. Any of her ideas about what happiness looked like for her.

She knew that this was what was best for Noah right now, it was what he needed to get his life together, for him, Quinn, and his child.

Rachel thought of Finn and nearly flinched at the painful irony of it all. Not just a few weeks ago, Rachel would have loved for all of this to come out in the open. Hell, she probably would have been the one to bring it there. Because just a few weeks ago, a silly, younger, more innocent version of herself, was sure that Finn Hudson was her soul mate, the one she would spend her life with, the one whose career would rival hers in greatness and stardom.

Now Rachel realized how foolish she had been. She hadn't really thought of the fact, that despite his good nature and impressive singing voice, Finn was spineless, easilly pressured by his peers, unsteady at best in his personal relationships, and didn't seem to have any interest in her beside using her for voice lessons and advice on Quinn.

Now, after having been with Noah, Rachel realized just how wrong she'd been. Noah was brave. Loyal to a fault. Kind underneath his hard, rough exterior. And on a more teenage and immature note...Completely freaking Gorgeous!

But No. This wasn't what she had just moments before told herself.

Giving up..._remember Rachel_.

The entire concept of 'giving up' was so foreign to the driven girl, that it took several reminders on her way home, and throughout the rest of the day, to wrap her head around it. But eventually, it stuck.

Rachel Berry, Had given up.

* * *

Puck had driven Quinn back to her house, sitting stiffly, keeping his hands painfully tight on the steering wheel of his truck, thankfull for the integrity of the vehicle, otherwise the ancient piece of metal would have snapped ages ago.

Neither of them had spoken a word since they left the school, and Quinn told him that she needed to get her stuff while her parents were at work. She had told him in a few short, clipped sentances, that Mercedes had offered to let her stay with her as long as she needed, and that she planned on taking the unusually sentimental diva up on her generous offer.

Puck had nodded stiffly, and driven directly to the house he used to pass daily, just hoping to get a glimpse of the pregnant girl that carried that only thing that mattered to him in the world (besides his mother and sister of course), and now, at that thought of what mattered to him, he couldn't help the image of an innocent, beautiful, sleeping Rachel Berry out of his mind.

He had wanted more than anything to go after her when school let out, but Quinn had pulled him aside, and quoted to him word for word what he had said when she had told him about the baby. Every syllable fell like lead in his stomach, weighing down his walk, and causing his usually carefree demeanor to alltogether dissappear.

Kurt had assured him however, that the nurse had said Rachel was perfectly fine, and to drink lots of water for the next couple hours. And that gave Puck the strength he needed to walk down the hallway, pass through the threshold of the highschool, without turning around, running back, and gathering Rachel up in his arms to kiss her for all she was worth and let her know that this didn't change anything, that he still loved her and wanted her.

Unfortunately, this had changed things, everything in fact, and Puck didn't know exactly what he was going to do about it.

He pulled to a stop in front of the big white house, and Quinn didn't say a word as they both exited their seperate sides. She did, however, look over at him with suprise as he got out of the truck.

"I'm helping you carry this shit...no way I'm taking a chance you fall and lose the baby."

She gave him a stiff nod for acknowledgement, and that was all.

It felt weird to be in Quinn's house, especially without her parents, and the thought that usually would be accompanied by other's of less pure nature was nothing more than an observation. Puck wasn't attracted to Quinn at all anymore. Now, when he looked at her, all he saw was the differences between her and Rachel.

They padded up the steps, her feet treading softly, him not so much, and he noted the clear view of her creamy legs...milk white where there should have been golden brown. They turned down the hall that led to her room, the room he had only been in once, at the conception of their child, and he saw the light from the window reflect off her nearly white blonde hair...fair where it should be dark, rich with swirls of Chocolate and strawberry.

Finally, they were in her room, and the sight that greeted them caused both Puck and Quinn to pause, Quinn sucking in a harsh breath as if trying to hold in her tears. Because instead of a usual teenage girl's dwelling, a room that had been slept in only the night before last, there were only bare walls, a bed stripped clean of it's coverings, and several sizable boxes stacked up near the door with a small white envelope laid on top.

There was no name on it, but it was painfully obvious what the message was. Probably something along the lines of,

_Dear Quinn, _

_We no longer want you here, you have embarassed  
yourself and us, therefore we have taken the liberty  
of packing up your things. We hope you retrieve them  
before we get home._

_ Good bye  
Your Ex-Parents  
_

Puck knew he was probably taking some liberty with that last part, but even he wasn't immune to the fucking horrible way these people had methodically packed up their daughters life and essentially erased her presence from their home so quickly.

Quinn reached out for the letter, opening it gingerly, as if there might be a bomb concealed inside the tiny package.

_Who knows with these crazy fucks_

But Puck kept that thought to himself. He watched with morbid curiosity and caution, as the girl's eye's scanned the letter, and her hand came up over her mouth as tears blurred her vision. He was pretty sure he had been spot on with his estimation of her parents words, and he didn't even bother to retrieve the paper from where it had fallen on the floor.

Despite his general dislike of the pretty, snobby, generally spitefull girl standing before him, he wasn't made of stone, not at all. And the painfully broken expression on her pretty face caused even his badassness to crack for a moment, a fact he would certainly deny if anyone ever asked.

"Quinn-"

He reached out, but before he even touched her, she recoiled, as if his arm was some sort of poisionness snake threatening to bite her, before she said quickly.

"Don't Puck. Let's just get the stuff and go."

Her voice was quite...but disturbingly empty and voide of any real emotion. If he hadn't been staring at the tears threatening to spill over her eyelids, he wouldn't have though she had been affected at all. He wanted to say something, anything, to fix the situation that he had had equal part in creating, but he couldn't.

At the moment, all he could do was pick up one suprisingly heavy box after the other, and carry them downstairs to his truck. This task took nearly half an hour, with Quinn trying to carry some of the lighter stuff, and Noah silently taking it from her with a shake of his head that brooked no argument.

Finally, they were both back in the car. Puck had just finished checking that everything was secure in the back of his truck, before he started turned the key, eyes directly on the road in front of him.

"Puck,"

Her soft voice startled him, and he almost dropped the key in his suprise. He turned to look at her, and she continued.

"Thank you...I- I really don't know what I would have done without you."

He gave her a forced, tight, grin, and replied.

"Ahh you probably could have talked Finn into helping you."

The moment the words exited his mouth he realized he shouldn't have said them, and the look she gave him told him he would have been beter off keeping his mouth shut. But that was usually the case with him either way. It seemed that the conversation was over for now, and he turned back to start the car, beginning to drive in no particular direction other than away from her house.

After a few awkward moments of silence, where neither party knew exactly what to say, Puck asked in a detached voice where Merceds lived. Quinn spouted off Mercedes address as if reciting a poem that she didn't care about, and thankfully, Puck knew the suburb she was refferring to. He used to clean pools there, and have sex with house moms, but that was nobody's business. After a few tense more minutes, Puck spoke, his blunt voice breaking the nearly suffocating silence, odd between two people who had once created a child together.

"Are you still planning on giving the baby up for adoption?"

His eyes were still on the road, but any and all concentration he had in that moment was funneled into her quick reply.

"Yes."

He sighed, a few weeks ago he would have been pissed, majorly fucking pissed, because a few weeks ago, Puck had wanted a chance to be a dad. High school be damned, he had thought, all he had wanted was to prove himself. But now, with Rachel, with his new attitude towards Quinn, her decision just gave him no small measure of relief.

And it must have been visible on his face, because Quinn asked in an irritated voice.

"Why are you so happy about it, I thought you wanted to be a daddy?"

Her voice was laced with sarcasym and spite, and Puck nearly grinned at her lack of ability to affect him, that was, before he realized that there was really nothing more innapropriate than smiling at that moment.

"Things have changed Quinn."

His voice was quieter than usual, but it carried conviction, and Quinn glanced over at him with a look that could wither a plant. Puck was gratefull that he was a well built hunk of teenage boy and not a plant.

"You mean _Rachel_ don't you."

Just the way Quinn twisted the word Rachel had Puck tensed up and ready for a fight, but he thought of how Quinn was pregnant, with his child no less, and that he should cut her some slack for the extra bitchiness she was sprinkling on all of her words. He replied calmly.

"Quinn, I promised to take care of you, and this baby, for as long as you would let me. That means that I'm going to do everything in my power to cover the doctors bills, the vitamins, and even the fucking maternity clothes. But _darlin'"_

The word was laced with sarcasym that he hadn't been able to restrain.

"I never promised we'd be a couple, because that's not something that you really need, and it's definitely not something that I want at this point in time, or ever again really. "

He tried to ignore the hurt look on her face at his words, reminding himself that she had earned every bit of them, and continued.

"So I _will_, stay will you until the baby is born. And I will take care of you. But I want to make it clear that we are _not_ a couple."

Her posture was stiff with indignant rage at his words, and she folded her hands over her stomach protectively.

"Fine."

Her word was bitten out, clipped harshly through thin lips, and once again Puck found himself reminded of Rachel, or her full, moist lips. And that was a thought that brought him some measure of peace as he drove the rest of the way to Mercedes's house in uncomfortable silence.

When they arrived in front of a decidedly smaller, but still decent looking middle class suburban home, Puck stopped, letting Quinn out to walk up to the door, and making his way around the truck to get her stuff out of the back.

Mercedes exited, giving Quinn a hug and pulling her inside, before reappearing several moments later with a large man by her side that Puck assumed was her father.

He walked over to the truck and introduced himself as Gavin, no last name at the moment, and inquired as to Puck's relation to the pregnant girl who was about to be living in his home. After a short.

"You're the father?"

"Yes sir."

"And you two are a couple?"

"No sir."

Raised eyebrows, no more questions for the moment other than.

"So how can I help you get those boxes inside."

And that was it. Business wrapped up. Puck helped Gavin place all the boxes in a small but neat looking, recently vacated room, before walking back out to his truck. Quinn was there to meet him, still standing awkardly with her hands crossed over her chest.

Puck lifted his eyebrows as if to signal that she either say whatever it was she planned on saying, or move out of the way and let him get in his truck, she chose the former.

"I'll see you at school tomorrow, Mercedes mom will drive me there with her. And you can drive me home since Mercedes takes the bus home while her parents are at work. I'll let you know when I have to schedule my next appointment and how much it will cost."

Her voice had gone back to the empty, emotionless state of just half an hour before. But this time, she was showing no tears to say other wise, Puck could have sworn she was a robot had he simply seen her on the street. He gave her a curt nod, and this time she moved, allowing him access to the truck.

He got in, waiting until she had walked around the front and stood a safe distance away on her new abode's lawn, before starting the vehicle.

Before he pulled off, Quinn's question stopped him.

"Puck. Did you really mean what you said?"

He assumed she was refferring to the part where he told her that they weren't going to be a couple, and he replied firmly, with no ill will in his answer.

"Yes."

Her light green eyes shot sparks as him before she spun on her hill, marching back to the front door of her new home, and a waiting, definitely curious Mercedes.

On the drive home, Puck's numbness started to fade, leaving him alone with his thoughts, and his newly acquired migrane that promised to be a constant companion over the next couple weeks. He thought of Quinn's murderous expression as he left, and nearly laughed at how much it paled in comparission to Rachel's carefully honed glare of death.

He thought of how Rachel could nearly cripple him with one withering glare from her dark, bitter chocolate, eyes, and the tiny amber flecks that shot at him like daggers. Nope. Quinn didn't stand a chance next to Rachel.

And in that moment, Puck knew something.

He _was_ **not** giving up.

There was no way in **hell**, that Puck was going to let one bitchy little blond ruin his future with the girl of his dreams. He may have been stuck with Quinn for the next couple months, but after his child had been safely removed from Quinn's body, and adopted by some nice couple who would raise the baby better than two high schoolers ever could, he was free from any and all interaction with Quinn.

And that meant he was free to have Rachel back.

Puck nearly groaned in pleasure at that thought, the intensly satisfying thought of having Rachel all to himself, the thought of making Rachel _his_, officially. It was almost to much to handle, and Puck knew if he thought about it too much now, it was only gonna make his headache worse.

So instead, he focused on the most simple, most beautiful conclusion he had come to all day.

Noah Puckerman, was NOT giving up on Rachel Berry.

**Soooo? didja like it...please please please say you did :( I really couldn't take it if all of this horrible cramping in my wrists was for nothing lol, so if you want another chapter REALLY fast then you know what to do.**

**REVEIEW! REVIEW! REVIEW!**


	16. Taning, Finn, and Glass?

**A/N Heyyy :) I'm sorry it took me a little longer than usual, it's ridiclously hot, and on top of this, my chiropractor (God bless his heart) had informed me that I might have the early stages of carpal tunnel... Just a joy that man is. *sarcasym* but, nonetheless, I have produced a nearly 4000 word chapter for you guys! Yay! I hope you like it :) sooo, here it is...**

For once in her life, Rachel Berry was at a loss.

A loss for words, a loss for ideas, a loss for drive. She was simply at a loss for living.

That may be slightly over dramatic, but when it came to Rachel, nothing was to out of the box.

As she lay out on the white ,stretched out, deck chair outside her pool, she shifted uncomfortably, glaring against the unusually bright Ohio sun, she considered her current predicament. She had decided for both Noah, herself, and even Quinn, that she had to give him up. But that was only physical...she could only give him up physically...by not being near him.

That would only torture them both.

But emotionally...that was a whole other story. It felt like there was some sort of constant, aching, throbbing sensation, located right below the left side of her chest. If, even for a moment, she forgot to feel the pain of his absence, a sharp stabbing sensation would occur when she took to deep of a breath. So, in reality, there was no way physically possible of giving up Noah as she had promised herself she would.

She huffed impatiently, and turned onto her stomach as to evenly absorb the soothing waves of heat the sun had begun to grace Ohio with. She found herself humming a familiar tune and recognized it as _Lucky_ by Colbie Calliet and Jason Mraz, a song that she had previously heard Quinn singing when she thought no one could hear.

Then, her quiet, somewhat peaceful moment (if you cut out the whole Noah-baby-daddy- stuff) was ruined by the once loved, but now quite annoying, _Sweet Caroline_ she had set shortly after Noah's impromptu performance.

She reached out her darkening arm with a soft groan, and felt her body tense when she saw the name on the screen.

_Jesse St. James._

What could that boy possible have to say to Rachel after everything had happened? Upon reading the message, which Rachel had expected to be an over dramatic apology befitting of only Jesse st. James, She was only further shocked. It was short, simple, and possibly the most confusing thing she had ever gotten from him.

_What do you want the most? ~J_

Rachel read, then re-read the words, still not fully grasping what angle he was coming from. She briefly considered that it was some type of sexual innuendo she was simply failing to grasp due to her lack of experience with average teenage males (not that Jesse St. James was in _any _way average.), but she doubted this was the case. Even though Jesse made it very clear that he desired her in a...sexual way, he had never been outright lewd...not like Noah had for example.

"Urghhhh."

Rachel let out a frusterated growl, very unusual for her, and tried once again to push Noah out of her mind, trying to ignore the ever present pain in her chest that was becomming a constant companion, and fired back a reply for Jesse.

_I don't think that's really your business anymore Jesse. ~R_

Even Rachel, who had virtually no problem with her bluntness, felt a slight twinge of regret at her harsh treatment of Jesse, he hadn't, after all, actually meant to hit her.

_But he did..._

Rachel's inner voice argued...and she fought the urge she felt to listen to it, after all, she was more than slightly intrigued by Jesse's odd question, wanting to know where it was comming from. She waited for his reply, knowing it would come fast, then growing oddly anxious when he took over five minutes to answer her last, clipped, message.

_Just answer the question Rach ~J_

She tried not to flinch at the unusual nickname, considering that Noah used to call her that at times. Then replied in a much nicer tone than before.

_I honestly don't understand how you want me to answer that. _~R

It was true, albiet not completely, because Rachel knew exactly what she wanted the most, _Noah, _but she certainly couldn't tell Jesse that...she considered the question more thoroughly as she waited for his next slow reply. She figured that, after Noah of course, She had always secretly (because it would hurt her dad's if they knew) felt like her life would be complete if she had a mother.

It wasn't that she didn't absolutely love her two daddy's...but she sometimes felt like there was a small (or freaking large) chunk of herself that was missing.

His next reply was odd... only because it felt like he was reading her mind a little bit.

_Yes you do... ~J_

She was slightly pissed off by this...not that Rachel Berry would _ever_ use the term 'pissed off' without being under some sort of duress. She she fired back a reply was was a throwback to her first, more harsh, choice of words.

_A Mom Jesse, so it was quite pointless for you to ask because I doubt you can pull one of those out of your bag of tricks. ~R_

As soon as Rachel sent the message, she realized she had gone a full minute without thinking of Noah, and the realization sent a sucker punch sensation right into her midsection, almost knocking the breath out of her. Jesse's next, and _last, _text of the night only furthered this sensation with one, short, question.

_What if I could? ~J_

Rachel must of sent back a dozen texts waiting for a reply...an explination...ANYTHING! But to her intense dissapointment, Jesse simply let his last, rather shocking question, hang in the air.

Damn that smart bastard!

He realized that the one thing that Rachel wanted (other than Noah of course) was her mother, and that she would be the only thing that could bring Rachel back to him...or at least his prescence.

She realized that she had no further desire to lay out, tanning herself, and that it was probably a smart time to go in anyways, considering that the sun was probably going to be going down soon. She stood, stretching out her short (albiet toned, tanned, and very leggy) body, and an image of Noah's almost pitiful expression at her 'rock n' roll' outfit flashed before her eyes, and she wondered just how exaggerated that expression would be if he could see her then.

Rachel first blushed, then mentally smacked herself at this vein of thought. But one image of Quinn's pregnancy swolen body did the trick, sobering her to the point of tears. And she once again had to remind herself that Noah didn't belong to her...that he never really did.

She quietly collected her things...towel, Ipod, phone, etc, and walked back inside.

Funny, the silence and stillness her of house had never bothered her before, but this time, the lonliness of it all hit her like a brick, and she found herself doubled over one her bed, body racked with unfettered sobs, not even bothering to change out of her bathing suit as she pulled on a pair of threadbare, nearly transparent, pajama pants she had had since she was 14.

This wasn't _her_.

Rachel Berry didn't cry over boys...certainly not boys like Noah Puckerman, alpha male, jocks with no appreciation for the arts.

And yet...here she was...crying.

She heard her phone ring, and snapped her arm over so fast that it knocked over the sugar free snapple tea that she had lying on her bedside table. For once, she didn't leap to her feet to correct the error, in fact, she simply ignored it, allowing the glass bottle to shatter against the ground, in a motion that was nearly identical to the action that had been taken against her heard not long before.

Her excitement and violent responce turned out to be for nothing, as it turned out that it wasn't a text from Jesse, but a call from Finn that Rachel's phone was recieving.

She hesitated for a moment, wondering why exactly Finn was calling her at...(she glanced over at a clock) Oh, just 6:45, and also whether or not she even wanted to talk to him.

Just before a irritated and anxious Finn hung up not 7 miles away, Rachel pressed the small green button and held the phone up to her ear with a weak.

"Rachel Berry's phone."

There was a short pause as Finn registered the odd greeting he had just recieved, chocked it up to the fact that Rachel was always weird, then replied.

"Hey Rachel...It's umm, it's Finn."

She felt a nearly invisible, bittersweet (more bitter-than-sweet) smile tug at the end of lips at her ex-flame's usual adorable dimwittedness, but it was quickly wiped away as Rachel realized that she found much less appeal in that than she used too.

"Yes, I know."

Ok, so it wasn't the best reply, but she was in pain too, it wasn't just Finn that Puck had betrayed by impregnating Quinn. Okkkk, well maybe it was at the time, but it didn't change the fact that he had told Rachel he loved her _before _telling her about the whole, baby-daddy thing.

"Well, I thought...I mean, since you and I both...I guess I just kinda wanted someone to talk to."

Usually, Rachel would go off on some sort of rant on how she had told him that she was a better match for him that Quinn, that she felt no sympathy for someone that had failed to listen to her (as usual) golden advice, but Finn, he just sounded so broken down that she couldn't _not_ acquiecse to his request.

"You're right Finn...I suppose we both got deeply injured by Quinn and Noah's actions."

Rachel physically flinched at the sound of Noah's name comming off her lips, and decided after that to only refer to him as Puck when she spoke aloud, as a way of further distancing herself from the boy she now knew she could never have. Finn ,however, didn't take his emotions out internally as Rachel did, and instead, spent that next 45 minutes switching back and forth from grieved questions.

"How could she do this to me?"

"I thought Puck was my best friend?"

"What did I do to deserve this?"

And angry statements.

"They're not even worth all this shit!"

"I don't need friends like this!"

Frankly, Rachel found the entire ordeal rather selfish and short sighted, not that she dared tell Finn this. After all, Quinn was a teenage mother, and Noah..._Puck_, now had to take on the responsibilities of a father, much earlier than either of them was ready for. And here Finn was thinking that it some grand scheme orchestrated by the universe to get back at him.

After faus sympathizing with Finn for about as long as she could handle, Rachel exclaimed.

"Finn!"

He was suddenly quiet, a relief for Rachel.

"While I'm certainly sorry for the pain I'm sure you're feeling, but at this moment in time I'm certianly the last person you want sympathizing with the loss of your girlfriend."

It took Finn another couple moment's to grasp Rachel's words (God bless the poor boy), before he replied,

"No...Rachel, Quinn and I, We're..."

Rachel could feel his strong lothing for the girl based only on the less than cordial way he pronounced her name, and in some sick, twisted, way, it gave her a small ammount of relief to remember than she wasn't the only one hurt by all this craziness. She waited for him to continue.

"We're not together...I don't even think I like her anymore."

She knew that he genuinely believed this, so she didn't outright correct him, instead, she started gently,

"Finn...you love Quinn."

Rachel was already expecting his vehement reaction, and waited till it was over to continue.

"Wha- No! I can't ever love her- I don't even. Just No Rachel. No."

She sighed, denial was so annoying, and unprofessinal in her extimation.

"Finn, you were in love with Quinn, ready to raise a baby with her."

He started to splutter out another denial, but she cut him off.

"Just finding out about off of this doesn't cancel that. It doesn't lessen your love for her, it just makes it that much painful."

_Just like mine and Noah's_

Rachel's thought caught her off gaurd, and she tried her hardest to keep the pain out of her voice as she continued.

"I'm not saying you guys are ever going to get back together-"

"Fuck No we're Not!"

Rachel cringed at Finn's crass words, they always sounded so much more natural comming from Noah...Rachel wasn't sure what she thought of her acceptance of curse words from one teenage boy but not another, but she didn't dwell on this vein of thought for long, it wouldn't do her any good in the long run.

"But...you're going to have to see each other every day...and N- Puck."

She tried to ignore the hard way the consonants pricked her tongue, and dearly missed calling the boy by his real name.

It took Finn a moment to reply, and when he did, he sounded oddly distant, strange for a boy that didn't often think ahead past what he was eating for dinner.

"Maybe you're right Rachel, I'm...I'm gonna go, I have to umm, think about things."

Rachel didn't let any of the dissapointment the was feeling creep into her tone as she also bid Finn goodbye, and tried to ward off the bitterness she felt at his blantant disregaurd for her feelings...maybe she had wanted someone to talk to as well, and not just listen.

But on some level Rachel was grateful for the fact that she was, once again, alone. And found herself drifting off into a fitfull sleep, soundproofed door closed, and completely oblivious to the pounding on her door.

* * *

Puck stood in front of fucking Rachel Berry's door, pounding unitl he couldn't feel the side of his fist, and growing more and more annoyed at the tiny purple prius that sat in the driveway, mocking him, reminding him that the girl was home, and simply choosing not to answer the door.

Unless...

Unless what? Unless she wasn't home?

**_Well..._**

Devil Puck said from one shoulder

**_It would give us a good excuse to go in, you know, like we were protecting her or some shit like that._**

Puck liked this idea, liked it a lot, he was reaching for the door knob, turning it, finding himself increasingly fucking pissed and more that a little concerned that she had just decided to leave the door unlocked when it was obvious that she was home alone. Then, Angel Puck, (a much more neglected party in Puck's usual mental debates), piped up, saying

_Hey, this isn't right, it's not our house to break into. _

Puck growled at the less pleasant logic that his 'good' side was presenting.

**_Oh shut up, no one listens to you anyway_**

This was true, and Puck decided to forge ahead on the little red man's advice, and because he did have actual worry beginning to stir in the pit of his stomach for one little jew.

Upon opening the door, an eerie silence greeted the large football player, and he called tenatively, his loud voice ringing painfully throughout the large, open, Berry household. And was further egged on when he recieved no reply, the uncomfortable sensation of worry blossomed into full on concern at the silence that was beginning to taunt him with it's emptiness.

"Rachel!"

Louder. Still nothing.

He charged up the steps, not even bothering to cover the noice that his large form produced as he clomped up the delicate looking, white, carpet covered stairs.

Once he reached the hallway at the top, he zero'ed in on Rachel's door, knowing it was hers based soley on the large gold star that hung on the outside of the whitewashed wood. In two long strides he was in front of the door, banging only slightly more softly than before, and saying

"I know you're in there."

Puck tried to ignore how creepy he was sure he sounded and kept up the frantic (growing more so every moment), pace.

"Rachel it's Puck...Noah I need you to let me in so I don't knock the fucking door down."

Upon looking down, Noah realized that the door was unlocked

_Stupid girl_

This was from both Angel, and Devil Noah, and for once, they were in perfect unison.

There was, as expected, No reply, and Noah made a rather questionable move, when he decided to just let himself in anyways, after all, he had already done most of the damage by comming in the house.

The sight he saw stopped him short, and caused the worry and concern churning around in his gut to morph into another, much more troublesome feeling.

There, lying on her back, arms stretched over her head, wearing nothing but a sorry excuse for pajama pants and a tiny, white, bikini top...was Rachel Berry.

Puck was torn between standing there, staring, maybe even snapping a few pictures for later use, and waking her up and demanding to know why the fuck she decided to take a nap, alone in her house, with the door open.

When Puck realized just how creepy the first choice was, it only left the whole waking her up option. He groaned as he approached her, trying not to notice that the bathing suit top was barely two slips of white fabric, set off nicely against her dark summer tan. He reached his hand out, then grabbed it back, not exactly sure how he was supposed to go about this.

He wasn't sure where to shake her, or if he even should (considering that her body's reaction to the movement could possibly set events in motion that not even Puck, with all his hard earned self control {ha} could stop), and decided to try talking her awake first.

"Rachel!"

His voice was loud, he already knew the girl had a high tolerance for noise, but he wasn't ready to put his hands on her fucking edible body yet...because honestly, he didn't trust himself too.

She shifted in her sleep, and the slight rise and fall at the apex of her chest told him that she was no where near conscious. Her next words, though, nearly had the tent he had pitched in his tent popping his jean button.

"Uhh, Noah."

His eyebrows flew up against his own dark tanned forehead, and he recognized the words she said, but not the tone.

Fuck!

It was Puck's own, personal, fantasy to hear Rachel moaning his name that way, and here she was, not even aware she was doing it. He ran his hand through his short tuft of hair, trying to collect his thoughts before he acted unwisely...waking her up with his tongue perhaps?

_No! Bad Puck!_

This was from the little guy dressed in white, and for once, Puck agreed with him. So, with great care taken to touch as little skin as possibl, Puck reached out and brushed Rachel's hair away from her face, running his hand behind her neck and squeazing lightly, saying.

"Rachel baby, you gotta wake up."

This time however, her reaction nearly did him in, because her body's response to his words, and the squeaze he had placed on the back of her neck, was to arch upwards and emit a sexy little groan.

Puck felt his hearbeat in his fucking fingers, and he knew that he had to do something...ANYTHING! Before his body completely took him over.

Puck reached over for the half empty glass of water on Rachel's night stand, grabbing it, and throwing it on her small, deep sleeping form, before jumping back, just barely missing a dramatic reaction that was only befitting for Rachel Berry.

"What the Fuck!"

Her voice was a high pitched scream, and Puck didn't even try to hide the grin that stretched across his handsome features at Berry's rarely heard explative. Things went downhill quickly though, as Rachel noticed (amidst her flailing and screams), her current state of undress, and lunged off her bed towards the closet. However, Rachel hadn't counted on the blankets that were currently wrapped around her feet, or the dozens of glass shards she had left unattended after Finn's rather troubling phone call, and found herself headed straight towards the floor, arms outstretched to cushion her fall, and in doing so, absorb the tiny pieces of crystaline glass that lay directly below.

At her next piercing scream, Puck knew something was much more wrong that just a damp pair of pj pants and a pissed off teenage girl, and rushing around the bed, found a sight that caused his stomach to drop and flip in great anguish.

Rachel Berry, lay, screaming/sobbing/instructing Puck to call 911, on a bed of glass he hadn't even realized was there.

Oh Shit, He had really fucked this whole thing up hadn't he?

**Sooo? Whadja think?**

***PLEASE READ! IMPORTANT!***

** I'm in desperate need of ideas...anddd, whoever gives me the best one will get their very own one shot (of at least 5000 words) oh any Puckleberry topic that they choose :) So, come on people**

**REVIEW REVIEW REVIEW!**


	17. Nurse Noah

**A/N Sorry it took me to long guys :/ I was a little slow on this one cuz I've been busy lately (boy trouble *overdramatic rachel berry sigh*) Buttt I got it up. Anddd, I'm already nearly done with the next one so you GOTTA REVIEW! :) **

**Oh, and a special shout out goes to _huitsutt99 _for being such a freaking awesome reviewer :) I really love you hehe**

**kk, here is the chapter...**

Rachel was pretty sure she was hyper ventilating.

She had pretty much screamed out her vocal chords (a **VERY** impressive feat for her), and the stinging in her hands, elbows, and one knee, hadn't subsided in the least, in fact, it had only increased.

To say that Rachel had been suprised to have been so rudely awakened, and in such a state of undress, by Noah of all people, would be a MASSIVE understatement. At first, Rachel's only intention had been to simply cover herself, however, all the well intentioned thoughts of modesty flew from her mind as she tried to exert all her energy into getting out of this mess.

"Shit! Fuck! Da- Rachel! I'm so sorry- I...I- and you weren't waking up."

Noah's usually smug, self satisfied voice was fraught with tension and anxious concern as he repetitively reached out for her, then retracted his arms, in some strange motion that told her he was trying to come up with a way to extricate her from this precarious situation without causing her further harm.

That was quite a feat to undertake, as anyone could see, considering that she wasn't nearly as injured as she could be. Rachel chose this odd time to realize, and feel a small pang of gratitude, that she hadn't even landed in the part of the floor where the shards were concentrated, but rather, on the outskirts of where the little pieces had scattered.

Then, Noah spoke again, sounding slightly more stable than before.

"Rach, baby, I'm gonna need you to trust me. Ok?"

Rachel took a deep breath, wincing at how the motion caused several shards to dig deeper into her forearm, and she murmered her nervous acquiescense, and found herself being pulled up in a violent, yet swift, movement, that landed her directly in the arms of none other than (you guessed it) Noah Puckerman!

The pain in her hands and other various body parts had evolved from just individual stinging pricks (albiet HORRIBLE pricks) to a sensation more akin to a thin sheet of fire being thrown over the affected areas.

"Noah!..."

Rachel realized, much to her horror, that she was both crying, and whining, not unlike a tempernental child that had fallen off the swingset at the playground.

But Noah didn't complain, he didn't apologize again either (which was good because all of that was starting to get on Rachel's already diva thin nerves), and he didn't remind her that it was her own fault she didn't clean up her mess. He simply continued carrying her softly, much more softly than she realized he was capable of moving, down the hallway, and towards the upstairs bathroom that was reserved for her considering that both her daddy's slept downstairs.

As he walked, and Rachel tried her best to keep from outright sobbing into his shirt, Noah simply brought his lips down to her ear, and said in a voice so soft and low that it almost caused her to forget her present dilemma,

"Shh Shh Shh,"

He was like a mother comforting a child, (only Rachel didn't realize that this was his was of trying to distract himself from the bikini top she was still wearing, a top that was beginning to come loose from the events of the past few hours,), and his soothing words murmured like a lover's prayer were the only thing that kept her from passing out again...well passing out or screaming in his ear.

"It's ok baby. I'll take care of you. You'll be allright. It's ok."

His words formed a soft chant, a dirge, that managed to distract her as he sat her down on the pink velvet covered toilet seat with all the care of a collector and his newest china doll, telling her to stay put while he found what he needed.

It was funny.

Rachel had always found the idea of anybody rummaging around in her bathroom repulsive, as well as a total and complete invasion of privacy, but with Noah, It just...was.

He didn't make any stupid jokes (which she didn't usually mind {ok she kinda liked them if the situation was appropriate}), and with maturity rarely displayed by adolescent males, he simply bypassed the box of superplus tampons not saying a word. After a few moments of quiet, albiet franticly, searching, Puck's mohawk garbed head reappeared from underneath the cabinet with what he had been looking for.

Tweezers  
Hydrogen peroxide.  
Extra large band aids  
And a bag of cough drops.

Wait. A bag of cough drops?

Sure, Rachel bought the extra special, vegan approved, organic cough drops, and maybe they tasted like heaven, but they had nothing to do with the current situation.

Then, for the first time in several minutes, Noah spoke.

"Rachel.."

His voice was soft. Rachel would have even used the term 'tenative' to describe it...that was, if she didn't know Noah, and therefore, know that NOTHING about the large, football playing, Jew in front of her, was 'tenative'.

"Yes..."

Ok, so Rachel's voice was pretty freaking tenative.

"I'm gonna need you to do something for me."

Under any other circumstance, Rachel would have probably read _way _to much into Noah's words, but right now, she just wanted the pain to stop. So she nodded her head slowly and looked up at him with an anxious expression. He just sighed, not wanting to have to do what he was about to do.

"I need you to put one of these in your mouth and keep sucking on it. Keep your mouth closed Rachel...No matter what."

That last part was added in a more firm tone, and for reasons Rachel didn't understand, but, despite everything, she _did_ trust Noah Puckerman, more than anyone else in her life. She actually trusted him enough to not make the assertion that his last sentence was the epitome of what usual high schooler's would dub a _'that's what she said'_ comment.

_Quinn, Baby, Finn, Best Friend, Jesse, _

These words flashed through Rachel's subconscious before she had even completed her previous thought of trusting Noah, and once again, the pain in her stomach kicked in, nearly overpowering the burning sensation of her hands..._almost_.

So Rachel just nodded her head robotically. If Noah noticed, he didn't say anything, because at the moment, he was rather absorbed in his own troubles, first and foremost, how the _hell_ he was gonna be able to pull the glass out of his little girl's hands, without his own blood boiling at her every sound of pain.

And there _would_ be sounds. Because if there was anything that Rachel Berry _was_, It was noisy.

So Noah quietly handed the bag of expensive looking cough drops to Rachel, missing the way she purpously avoided his eyes. He stood to his feet, first washing his hands at the sink, then reaching for both the tweasers peroxide, had a mini flashback.

He remembered one time where he and Finn were little, like _really_ little, in the 2nd grade, and Puck had fallen off his bike on a gravel road, and she had to pick the tiny stones out of his hand, telling him that hydrogen peroxide hurt less than alchohol, and helped him heal faster, so he could go back to guitar lessons, which he had just started.

Puck pulled himself back into the present as he reached for a towel, which was hanging in a perfectly folded rectangle next to it's twin on a rack directly above Rachel's present seat on the toilet, and he glanced down to see that her hair was hiding her face as she eximaned her red, inflamed hands, which were cut with dozen's of small painfull looking slices.

He felt his jaw harden as he steeled himself for what he knew he had to do. He had to do it to help her, he told himself, and it was true, he did have to do it, because there was no one else here.

Oh Fuck it.

Even if there was someone else there, Puck would want to be the one to help her, becuase no matter how much it hurt either of them (mostly her in this case) Rachel Berry was _his_, and Puck accepted that if he wanted her heart, and hopefully *_fingers crossed_* her body, he was going to have to take care of her feelings as well. And even though this wasn't going to feel so good right now (it was going to fucking suck), in the long run, it would help her more than if she just tried to to it herself, like she inevitable would if he wasn't here to help her.

And so Puck began.

He laid the towel across her lap, reminding himself what a boss he was for not staring at her scantily clad chest, as he began to examine her hand. Try as he might to be gentle, and try as she might to not flinch, neither of them were perfect, and when the tweasers touched Rachel's skin the first time, she emitted a sharp little squeak, that didn't sound near as happy as the ones that used to escape her as he tickled her sides.

But Puck didn't stop, he felt nauseous as he thought of Rachel's pain, but he couldn't stop. Because the longer he drew it out, the more pain she would be in, and Puck wasn't selfish enough to indulge his own personal feelings at the expense of Rachel's long term well being.

The next half hour was Pure. Fucking. Hell.

For both Puck and Rachel, the thirty minutes that followed tried both their sanities. Rachel, mostly because of the obvious pain she was in, both emotional and physical. Puck, becuase every fucking milisecond, he was fighting the strongest part of himself, the part that told him to protect Rachel nomatter what, to make sure she never hurt, that those fucking horrible sounds of pain never came from her beautiful lips, and he knew he couldn't stop util it was over.

Then...Finally, after examining and removing the few shards in Rachel's knee and elbow, Puck was done, and they let out a unanimous sigh of relief.

Puck had realized, after nearly biting a hole in the side of the inside of his cheek while listening to Rachel hold back screams as he gingerly poured the peroxide on her wounds, that normal bandages wouldn't be enough, and had spent a few more minuted rummaging through the well stocked bathroom cabinet in search of some sort of gauze.

Now, Rachel sat before him, empty $9.98 bag of organic cough drops by her side, nearly limp with her body's reaction to her constand tensing, un-tensing routine, and he asked

"Are you allright now?'

She looked over at the boy askinh her such a ridiculous question, and nearly scoffed as she replied.

"Noah, even if I had been the picture of health upon your arrival- which, come to think of it, I _was, _until you so rudely woke me up, startling me into falling into the floor onto broken glass- I _still_ wouldn't be 'ok' because I still love you, and you're still the father of Quinn's baby, and this is all still horrible, and messed up, and just flat out wrong. So No, Noah, I'm not ok."

Noah blinked several times, not looking quite as dumb as Finn would had he been in the same position, and took in her words.

That last part was the thing that really stuck out.

She loved him.  
He was Quinn's baby's Father.

Two, equally important statements, one horrible and the other frigin fantastic, that should have never been spoken beside each other.

"Rachel I-"

He choked. Fucking choked. Like a 15 year old at a football game, then he continued,

"I'm sorry about breaking in-"

And, of course, Rachel chose this moment to cut him off again, her voice rising in pitch now that the immediate threat of glass inserted into her skin wasn't a problem.

"Yes! About that Noah! What on God's Green Earth! Were you thinking?"

The two, little, dueling Puck's both fought over how to answer this question, and Puck himself settled on a compromise.

"You- you're car was in the driveway, and your door was unlocked, but you weren't answering. I was worried, and I-I just needed to talk to you."

All of that was true, he just left out a few, tiny, unimportant details that devil Puck had enticed him with.

It was about this time that Rachel realized (again) her lack of a shirt. With a squeak, this one much more innocent and less anguished than her previous sounds of pain, she bolted from the room, leaving a very conflicted and somewhat confused looking Puck sitting on her bathroom floor.

Puck heard her door slam not seconds later, and he sighed, using the marble bathroom counter as leverage to pull himself up. He looked into the mirror and saw the same image he'd seen a hundered times (not that he looked in the mirror a lot or anything), only this time, something was different.

He looked...not _older_, but maybe...more mature?

There was a sort of hardened, yet almost lovelorne expression on his face, that consisted of his usually grinning lips lacking their usual smirk, and his eyes not shining quite so brightly, but just as deeply, with the knowledge that he was in love, and no other woman would ever cut it for him after this.

**So I don't know about Yall...but I'm dying for some smuckleberry? Wbu? well if you want it...hell, you know what to do! :)**


	18. Breadstix Blackmain, and other Disasters

**A/N i just pulled an all nighter...I've watched 9 hours straight of glee...I'm working on a one shot...I fucking love my reviewers...read it...**

Rachel Berry was sick and tired of being injured.

First there was the burns.  
Then there was the concussion.  
Then the glass.

What had she possibly done to deserve this much bad karma?

So it was in this state that Rachel entered glee club, with her head high, and her body weary. The previous day, and it's uncomfortable encounter with Noah, had been constantly on her mind. He had stayed at her house for nearly an hour after the 'incident' but Rachel refused to come out of her room and talk to him, lest he break down her already fragile defenses.

So today, Rachel had decided to try and forget about Noah ( a fruitless pursuit ) and try and focus instead on Jesse's vague, very confusing message.

What could it mean?

Did he know her mother? Did he know of her mother? Or was he just stringing her along?

Rachel was so caught up in her thoughts, that she didn't even realize that there was a short, very well dressed, very energetic young boy practically shouting in her ear.

"Rachel! Doll, snap out of it!"

She turned as he caught her arm, and winced, emitting a squeak of pain and flinching away.

His eyes widened as he took in her unusually thick, long sleeved sweater, which she happened to be wearing in the middle of the hottest part of the school year. He retracted his grip to her wrist, noting the bandages around her palm, and pushed her sleeve upwards before she could stop him.

"Rachel..."

He breathed out, horror and grief evident on his face,

"I know that you've been having a hard time lately...but self harm? Surely you of all people know that that's never the-"

Rachel cut him off quickly with a squeaky voice.

"Kurt!"

He looked back up to her face, eyes practically begging for an explanation.

"I didn't..._cut myself!_"

That last part was nearly hissed out as Rachel glance around at her fellow students, praying that they weren't paying attention to the unusual encounter in their hallways.

Kurt gently tugged Rachel towards the nearest empty classroom, and kept his eyes locked on her, still suspicious.

"Then what's with all of-"

He waved his hand back and forward over her injured arm like a magician trying to make a bunny appear out of a hat, and said with a voice just as stern, but lacking his previous conviction,

"This!"

Rachel sighed and pulled her sleeve back down, wincing as the rough fabric was tugged over her still fresh wounds, bound as they were in band aids, and answered wearily,

"I fell off my bed into a pile of broken glass I had previously forgotten to clean up."

Her voice was nearly emotionless, except for a split second at the end where it wavered, and Kurt latched on to this like a gator with it's prey.

"Forgot to clean up?"

His voice was a mixture of amused and incredulous, Rachel Berry, Forgetting something? Ha!

Rachel just shook her head.

"Well excuse me if I haven't been in exactly the best state of mind lately Kurt!"

Her voice was snappish, and Kurt took a step back, raising his hands in the air in a rather feminine parody of the classic defensive pose, then said,

"I wasn't accusing you darling."

Rachel felt herself flinch at his chosen endearment, remembering how much lower and sultry that same word had sounded coming from Noah's mouth.

"I simply couldn't grasp momentarily the concept of you being forget full, but of course, you're right. You _have_ been under a lot of stress lately, and it's understandable...what with all the..."

Kurt's voice trailed off hesitantly and Rachel nearly growled in frustration.

"Kurt! You don't have to be delicate with me! The _situation_ happens to be that my new found relationship with Noah was crushed by the revaluation of Quinn's baby's parentage! I'm not made of china, I can take what happens to me with dignity and move on!"

Kurt didn't believe a word of Rachel's well voiced (although it lacked conviction) speech, and simply nodded his acquiescence.

"Ok diva, I believe you, but..."

His eyes trailed up and down her form, shaking his head in disappointment that her model-esque body was, once again, garbed in such an atrocious fashion. Although, he noted with some amusement, the girl couldn't be faulted with lacking theatricality.

The tiny skirt (as per her usual) was a dark navy blue, nearly black, and her sweater was only several shades lighter, still leaning heavily towards the dark end of the shading spectrum, and if her unusually frizzy hair and chipped nails were any sign, this girl was definitely in mourning.

"Rachel..."

Kurt's voice was more cautious this time, although he couldn't help the slight lift at the last syllabal , that made the word sound almost like a question.

"Yes Kurt?"

"Are you purposely trying to dress like a depraved pedophile's widow?"

Rachel sucked in sharply at Kurt's bluntly phrased question, then glanced down at her dark grey carousel sweater and navy skirt, wondering to what Kurt was referring.

Kurt just sighed and shook his head.

"Come with me darling, we'll get you cleaned up."

Before Rachel could protest, Kurt had already taken her uninjured arm, and was leading her down the hall, towards the storage closet that held all the glee costumes.

She spluttered out some half-hearted protests, including the fact that she needed to get to class, to which Kurt only responded with

"Fashion before all darling."

And Rachel realized that resistance was a lost cause.

* * *

Nearly half an hour later, Rachel was staring at her reflection in the McKinley High girls bathroom, mouth agape with the sheer shock she felt at seeing such a reflection of herself.

Kurt had somehow been stocking the dress-bags with his own personal women's clothing collection from home (stating that there simply wasn't room or fitting conditions for his creations at his own house) and had several things that he insisted were _'absolutely made for'_ Rachel.

So there she was. Befitted in a grey satin type of material, that had long-ish sleeves, covering the mass of her bandages, and draping elegantly over her slim form, and cutting off directly above the waist band of her dark skirt (which Kurt had surprisingly deemed decent enough to wear with one of his creations) and showing slivers of her tanned midriff upon any sudden movement.

Kurt had taken the time (and some of her own, personal, hair styling products) to smooth Rachel's hair into long, natural looking waves, that fit with the entire liquid movement of her outfit.

Much to Rachel's surprise (although in hindsight, it shouldn't have been) Kurt pulled from his bag another, smaller bag, that contained a plethora of high end makeup, fitting for any self respecting diva. Upon questioning him on the odd contents of his bag, Kurt just smiled, and told Rachel that many a cheerio had come to him upon occasion, offering designer bags and other accessories for one of his much admired and envied makeovers.

Ok, so she had to admit she looked pretty frikin fantastic...but not quite like...herself.

She sighed, running her hand through her newly coiffed hair, much to Kurt's dismay, and said,

"I don't know Kurt, I'm not..."

She waved her hand over her form,

"This girl."

Kurt just scoffed.

"Well the last girl you tried to be looked pretty damn miserable. So maybe you should try out something new."

Rachel turned back to her reflection, eyeing it doubtfully, and biting her lip in a manner that had often sent Puck's thoughts straight into the gutter.

"You think?"

Her voice was soft, hesitant. Kurt just laughed loudly, breaking her self created reverie, and dusted his shoulders in a comical manner.

"Sweetie, I know."

* * *

Noah Puckerman hadn't known what to expect in glee club that day.

Maybe Rachel would be in a forgiving mood, ready to accept his appologies and take a step towards reconciliation.  
Maybe she would still be pissed and removed, much like her attitude of the past several days.

But Puck _certainly_ hadn't been expecting this.

When Rachel entered glee club, smile on her face, spring in her step, and sinfully teasing silver shirt revealing just enough skin to tease, Puck knew he was fucked.

He noticed that Kurt was trailing directly behind Rachel with a satisfied expression on his face, and Puck knew that the small gay boy was the one to blame for his current predicament.

Rachel's eyes latched onto his own, and it only took a moment for Puck to realize that it was all a farce, a fucking sexy, very well planned, farce. This girl wasn't happy, one look into those broken brown eyes could have told any idiot that, and Puck was no idiot.

But before he could but a stop to this ridiclous act, Mr. Schu had already called class to order, and it appeared that Quinn and Rachel had switched seats. He didn't think either one had talked to the other about it, they both just seemed to know that it was what they were going to do.

Stupid Chick Shit.

So now, Rachel in all her newly found ,sexy, glory, was seated beside fucking Finn, while Puck was left with a very pissed off and hormonal Quinn.

With a glance over at Finn, Puck found his fists tightening into fists, and his muscles clenching in a manner that he was finding to be more and more common when Rachel was involved. At that particular moment, the un-humanly tall quarterback, was staring at Rachel, with a dumb expression that told Puck Finn was well on his way to getting over Quinn.

Fuck this!

Standing up, Puck ignored the burn he should have been feeling from the stares of the other glee clubbers, as he practically marched over to Rachel's new seat on the end, dragging his own chair behind himself, purposefully allowing the metal feet to scrape the floor in an attention grabbing manner. He _wanted_ their attention, Fuck! He was staking a claim here!

Puck thought he had made it pretty fucking clear that Rachel Berry was _his_. But apparently, Finn was even denser than he looked (an impressive feat to be sure), if he thought he could encroach on Puck's territory not even a week after breaking up with Quinn.

He intentionally avoided Finn's eyes, or any one else's for that manner, and kept his eyes locked directly on Rachel's impossibly huge, coffee colored eyes, which were brimming with a strange mixture of fear (What the fuck was that about!) and confusion. She spoke, and Puck's breathing almost stuttered as he realized just how much he had missed hearing her high, musical voice, over the past few days.

'Noah...Wha- What are you doing?"

Puck forced a smooth calmness that betrayed his actual tormented emotions, into his voice, and answered,

"Sittin with m' Girl."

He tried not to break into a triumphant grin as he heard her breath halt and saw her shift uncomfortably in her chair.

_Fuck yeah!_

Mr. Schu had observed this very unusual transaction with as much calm as he could, even though his disapproval was plainly obvious on his stern face, as his eyes flitted back and forth between Quinn's stiff form, and Rachel's uncomfortable posture, as Puck lounged back in his chair, body turned towards the ethnically similar girl beside him, staring unabashedly at her as her blush deepened to a ruddy huge that appeared odd on her naturally dark complexion.

It took him a moment to remind himself that he was a teacher, and that he had no business sticking his nose in his students love life.

_even if they did ask him to take them to the doctor to see if they were pregnant..._

Shoving this thought aside, Mr. Schuester cleared his throat and continued on with today's lesson.

"Ok...Class. Today, we really need to figure out our set list for sectionals."

He heard some excited murmurings, but none of the usual loud suggestions and comments from Rachel that they had all become used to.

"Any suggestions?"

To Mr. Schuester's great shock and horror, even upon this goading, there was still nothing from Rachel.

Even Kurt seemed much less chatty on that particular day, fortunately for the class, Mr. Schu already had some idea's of his own. He turned, and wrote seven large letters on the board with relish.

"Journey. What does this make you think off?"

He got several halfhearted reply's and tried to hide his disappointment as he continued his explanation, or what he believed to be his wonderful idea of a journey medley.

* * *

Rachel couldn't have felt more awkward as she sat in glee club and tried to act natural as Noah Puckerman's blatant stare burned holes into the side of her face. It was beyond inappropriate...not to mention that it caused her to squirm uncomfortably as she tried to ignore the uncomfortable sensations his unusually tousled looks were causing.

As soon as she gained the presence of mind to tap back into Mr. Schue's lesson, she nearly rolled her eyes in a very un-professional manner. Seriously! Journey...again?

She fought the urge to speak up, as she had previously decided to simply remain quiet in glee club, seeing as how her suggestions were first ridiculed, then ignored, then finally turned to as a last resort when the rest of the class realized that she had been right in the first place.

And, on top of that, Rachel had decided that if she was gong to be staying silent in class, she might as well use the time to think over her present Jesse/Biological Mom/Noah/Finn problems, and she might have taken no small amount of amusement at the first shocked, and now slightly uncomfortable and confused expression on Mr. Schuester's face, as he tried to figure out why his 'star pupil' wasn't putting in her two cents.

Oh Well...Maybe when he accepted and acknowledged Rachel's input, and her importance to glee club, then she would consider re-entering the class's usually pointless banter with her priceless advice.

Oh, and then there was the uncomfortable close presence of Noah, the unmistakably ice cold glare of Quinn which seemed to be perpetually trained on her since this whole thing had come out in the open, and the buzzing in her pocket which told her she had just received a text.

Well...since it wasn't like she had any real interest in class at this moment, Rachel decided to do something she she NEVER did, and pull her phone out of her pocket to check and see whoever it was that had texted her.

_Jesse St. James_

She flipped it open, quickly scanning over the message and sucking in a quick gasp.

_This Sat. 8:00 .Breadstix.  
~J_

She glared, and didn't realize just how much attention her uncharacteristic show of disinterest in class, both from Noah, who was craning his neck to read her message and it's contents, and a particularly feisty latina who was more than interested in who could possibly be distracting Rachel Berry during glee class...especially considering that both Puck and Finn obviously weren't the senders.

Rachel fired back her blunt refusal ans snapped her phone shut much louder than she realized.

By now, just about everyone but Mr. Schue and Brittney had recognized and locked on to the unusual vibes that their usually studious Jew was sending out.

By the time she got her reply, even Mr. Schu was glancing over towards the obviously agitated girl, and curious as to the cause of her irritated state. Rachel had barely read the words, before the small, pink, flip phone, was snatched from behind by a girl whose name closely resembled satan, and before Rachel could grab it back, Santana's smoky voice was already reading out the messages, over Mr. Schue's hesitant words, and much to Rachel's horror, began with the messages of several days before.

"Jesse St. James: _What do you want the most_ - Ooh Berry? Sexting?"

Noah growled and shoved his chair back, standing to his feet and demanding the phone from Santana.

"Give me the fucking phone San!"

She simply flicked her wrist away from his incoming grasp, and flitted away from him, continuing to read aloud.

_"I don't think that's really your business anymore Jesse."_

Santana laughed.

"Good for you Berry, guess you got some balls."

Mr. Schuester stepped in...vocally that was, he didn't actually take a step towards the cheerleader with the stolen pink phone...mostly because he actually wanted to hear this, as loath as he was to admit that he had become immersed in this high school drama unfolding before his eyes.

"Santana...give Rachel her phone back."

She simply continued reading as if she had never heard him.

"Just answer the question...don't know how to answer blah blah blah"

The girl impatiently scanned down the list of texts, while expertly avoiding both a very aggravated (and becoming more every second that he knew Rachel was still in contact with Jesse) Noah, and a very short but determined Rachel, by weaving in and out of the rows of chairs, not to mention several piano benches.

"ooh, Berry, some drama..._finally_!"

Rachel stopped dead still, as did Noah, dreading what was about to come out of the particularly bitchy cheerleader's mouth.

"So Rachel wants a mommy."

the girl's tone was taunting, and even she didn't realize that she only deepened the lacerations of guilt and self doubt that had first been inflicted by Jesse on a very vulnerable Rachel.

But even Santana stopped for a moment, as she read Jesse's next text without any tone or taunt audible in her stunned voice.

"_What if I could_"

Only Rachel and Santana understood at that moment, before, that was, Santana clarified.

"So Jesse...knows who your mom is?"

Rachel couldn't even reply, and she simply stood, shocked and hurt, trying her hardest to keep from crying in the middle of glee class...again. So she simply nodded her head as Santana continued to read the texts, only now in a more methodical manner, only gleaning information that she had become desperate for.

"This Saturday, Eight O'clock, you and him, Breadstix..."

Sanana chuckled without mirth upon reading Rachel's firm refusal,and Rachel kept up her statue impression, as Puck tried his hardest not to punch the nearest person...who happened to be Finn...who was already on the very large, very angry, Jew's bad side.

Then...Santana read Jesse's last and most disturbing text

"Y_ou'll be there baby...after all, everybody needs a mom..."_

"Rachel..."

Mercedes voiced...but Puck cut her off before she could continue.

"Fuck this little prick Rachel! You're not _seriously _considering going with asshole?"

The class waited with bated breath for Rachel's reply, and got it, in the form of her running out of the room at a speed that would make a track and field major jealous.

**Review or no more chapters for you...yeah, sleep might be a good thing for my attitude in general...but you got your chapter didn't you?**


	19. Smuckleberry!

**A/N so yes it may be 2:30 in the morning. Yes I may have a problem. But you get your first smuckleberry at the end of this chapter...so you betta fuckin review or we're gonna have a problem...lol (i watched a lotta naya rivera interviews today if ya couldn' tell)**

No way Puck was letting this shit go down!

He stormed out of the choir room, following Rachel's teary exit, phone clutched dangerously tight in one of his fists.

After minutes of fruitlessly searching empty classrooms and the girls bathroom, much to the displeasure of a female teacher who shouted something about a detention as he exited the room in a hurry, Puck finally realized where Rachel must have decided to go in order to properly cry and be mortified at her big secret's cruel exposure.

The Auditorium.

What else was a more perfectly fitted place for the small high school's resident drama queen to seclude herself? Upon entering the large, drafty, room, filled with row upon row of shitty, worn velvet covered, stadium seats, Puck knew he had been right.

There were small, choked, sniffling sounds echoing off the slightly rounded walls of the auditorium, and Puck wondered if maybe she was on the stage. Nope. Not private enough to cry.

"Rachel!"

His voice was painfully loud in the previously silent room, and it echoed off the walls in a comically repetitive manner.

_"**Rachel...**Rachel...rachel..."_

The sniffles stopped suddenly, and Puck realized she had to be somewhere in one of the seats, scanning the long rows quickly, he narrowed in on her small, hunched over form, near the end of the back aisles. Her eyes met his just as soon as he recognized her, and they first widened, before she jumped up and began runing towards the front of the room.

_Really...? The front? There was a door right behind her! Hasn't this girl had any practice running away from people?_

Puck had a quick flashback to the multiple times he had slushied her in the past, noting, with no small ammount of self loathing and guilt, that none of those times had Rachel ever tried to run. Perhaps she realized that it was pointless, that she would only be running into other people who held about as much regaurd and affection for her as her abuser.

But this time, Puck was chasing her, and as anything _but_ an abuser.

He was chasing her because he was tired of all this shit. He couldn't do it anymore. Be patient. Wait for her to come to her senses and forgive him. He was going to **make **Rachel listen to him. And _then_ if she still chose to ignore him, then he would give up.

_Ok, totally not true...I still wouldn't give up..._

Finally, Puck was nearing in on her, and in a completely non-threatening way, effectively trapping her in a corner. Her wide, slightly puffy, eyes, flicked back and forth, trying to find a way out of her precarious situation, and fiding none.

"Noah...I- I can't do this...I'

But Puck her off, roughly.

"Fuck this Rach!"

His voice was low and torn...like it had been dragged through gravel.

"I'm not going to sit around anymore! I fucking love you! And you said you love me. And Quinn? Shit! She means nothing to me Rach! And you've GOT to believe me when I say I'm fucking sorry I didn't tell you, and that it doesn't affect the way I feel about you!"

Puck's chest was heaving, and he was practically on top of Rachel with how close their proximities were.

"Noah. I can't be with you I-"

His fist slammed into the wall behind her head, and he didn't even flinch at the pain. He opened his mouth, ready to roar out another ultimatium regarding their fragile relationship, and wasn't expecting the wave of images to barage his already tumultous mind with images that caused his body to tense, then go weak with the pain it caused.

Spending his remaining years of highschool here  
passing Rachel in the hallway  
Glancing over at her  
Her looking away  
turning around  
being with another guy

The pain the overrode his system was to intense to put into words. It would be safe to describe it as stomach clenching, body shuddering, bone rackingly awful.

And before Rachel realized the change that had just taken place in Puck's emotions, he was already clutching her form to his in a grip that was dangerously tight, sobbing wordlessly into her thick hair.

Rachel, was effectively rendered speechless, as she simply wove her arms around Puck's waist, trying to comfort him by softly rubbing her hands up and down his back. They stayed this way for several minutes, and sometime during that period, Puck sank to the floor, not relenquishing his grip on Rachel, by pulling her into his lap where he sat on the floor.

After what felt like hours (but couldn't be more than 10 minutes) Puck pulled back, still holding Rachel tightly to himself, and surved her with a pair of his own, bloodshot eyes.

Then, he spoke.

"Rachel. I fucking told you I love you."

She stared at him and opened and shut her mouth several times before she managed out,

"I know...I-I love you too-"

"No!"

His voice was back to being a low growl, and he felt Rachel's body shudder on top of his own, taking a small measure of satisfaction that he could make her do that.

"You don't understand. I'm not fucking Finn. I've only ever said 'I love you' to my mom and sister."

Rachel inhaled softly, and clutched the back of Puck's shirt tightly, completely unaware of how that affected him physically, and replied.

"Noah- what about...the baby?"

Her voice was soft, nearly inaudible, but of couse, Puck heard. He just sighed deeply, not breaking eye contact with the soft, warm girl sitting on his lap.

"Quinn's giving it up for adoption. And I'm going to take care of it while it's in her...but I'm NOT _with _her...you understand?"

Rachel nodded slowly, but there was still hesitancy visable in her eyes, and Puck clenched his arms, clutching her closer if that was possible.

"No! Rachel. I mean that I'm not letting you go until you tell me you love me and you're going to be with me."

She sighed, and it was nearly a whimper as it came out of her mouth. Causeing Puck to shift uncomfortable, not wanting to ruin the seriousness of the moment with an unwanted protrusion (pun intended).

When Rachel spoke, her voice was low and husky, probalby more sultry than she intended, and caused the exact effect she planned on.

"I. Love. You. Noah Puckerman."

Noah growled and pulled Rachel into a fierce kiss, tangling tongues passionately for a moment, before he strayed to her neck, shoulder, collar bones, listening to her soft mewls and heavy breaths. Feeling her nails scrap him as her fists clenched and unclenched through the fabric of his thin shirt.

Then, Noah pulled back, but only far enough to see her face. Noting with satisfaction, the once again tousled hair, the widened lust glazed eyes, the full swolen lips, and grinned a nearly predatory grin as he realized she had turned, stradling him, as they made out.

His hand was on the inside of her thigh, and she seemed to notice this at the same time, beginning to shift back uncomfortably.

_Fuck No!_

He pulled her back to him roughly, and she gasped, locking eyes with him and squirming on his lap as she tried to escape his grip.

Puck groaned out loud, and said through clenched teeth.

"Fuck Rach. If you don't quit that I'm not going to be able to finish what I started here."

She eyed him curiously as she continued trying to extricate herself from his grasp.

"What do you mean? Started what?"

Noah's teeth gleemed in the dark lighting as he grinned a ferel smile.

"Getting you off."

His voice was a mere growl, barely sounding human. As Rachel's body stilled in shock, and Noah's hand continued to travel up her leg.

Her body had begun to shudder softly, much to her suprise and discomfort, and Puck laid her out on the floor underneath himself, carefull to pin her there, lest she try to escape.

She still squirmed, part from fear, part in pleasure. Her voice came out as a desperate whine as she tried weakly to protest.

"Noah...I don't think this is a good place to-"

He cut her off with his lips on his, loving the way she was responding to his touch.

He slid one hand underneath her sexy silver shirt, and ran his thumb up and down the narrow concave of her hipbone. Then, slowly ran it up into her navel, sliding it in and out of the smooth dip in her firm flesh. His other hand continued to work it way up her leg, in a achingly slow gesture, as it stopped directly underneath the edge of her soft cotton panties.

"Noah, I...Uhnnnn"

Her voice trailed off into unidentifiable moans and whimpers as he progressed, and thank God! Becuse Puck seriously doubted if he could do his best with Rachel's constant halfhearted protests in his ear.

Meanwhile, his top hand trailed back and forth across her barely identifiable ribs, inching ever closer to the target anddd...BINGO! He had reached the underwire of Rachel's bra, and trailed the cotton covered flesh with his thumb. A louder whimper escaped her throat, sounding almost earthy as he continued around the back, popping the clasp with all the finess of a pro (which...let's face it...Puck sorta was).

He felt Rachel's shuddering and shaking underneath him increase as his thumb traced the bottom of her bare breast. He stopped momentarily, and smiled softly at the impatient huff she released, asking,

"Is this ok Rach...?"

Then. Rachel Berry growled. FUCKING GROWLED! Sure it was tiny and girly...but it was still a growl.

_And so fucking hot!_

"Don't. Dare. Stop."

Her words were clipped and breathy as she arched into him, and he bit back a low growl as he reminded himself that this wasn't about him...it was about Rachl...and making her feel...well, _him_.

So he let his hand travel upward, ever so slowly, and knew he had hit the right spot when his finger grazed the side of a tight nub, and Rachel's whole body shook, hard, as he pressed his thumb down on the taut knot of flesh. Then, just as he had her where he wanted her, he allowed his lower hand to also slid upwards, feeling his way towards the center of warmth that had been increasing. And found, with no small ammount of pleasure, that her cotton panties were nearly soaked where her enterance must be.

From outside the moistened layer of fabric, Puck found the soft indent that must have been Rachel's enterance, and pressed lightly with his thumb. She moaned, but not quite as loud as before, and simply whined out one word that was audible.

"More..."

Puck just grinned, his face burried in her neck, still placing kisses on every availible area of exposed flesh, and let his lower hand find it's way to the jackpot...

"Ooohhhh uuhnmhhhhhhh"

_There we go..._

Puck found another, lower, similarly shaped nub. And this one was already swolen and full actually pressing at the soft, damp, fabric that restrained it.

Rachel herself was trying her best to rock against Puck's firm hold against his hand, desperate for the pleasure he was allowing her to taste...but not savor...not yet.

"You want more?"

His voice was low, and Rachel's answer was almost too loud for the covertness that their hidden, erotic, act required.

"Gah! Yes Noah. Please!'

Rachel Berry. Begging him. Puck nearly came in his pants.

And just as a special reward for her good (or maybe _bad_ was a better word) behavior...Puck gave her what she wanted. He pushed the this fabric aside, and tested her wet, ready, enterance with his finger. She nearly screamed, and Puck had to cover her mouth with his own to keep her down.

He tried another finger, and pressed in further, allowing the heel of his hand to press up against her clit, as his upper hand kept up it's rythm of gently grasping and releasing her tits...and that was all it took.

Rachel's body went tense against his own, and then, the shudders that she produced, her body grinding up against his own, caused his own release to occur.

Then they were done.

Both of them lying side by side, Rachel wrapped protectively in Puck's embrace, as their own personal puddle of bliss coagulated, allowing them to forget their troubles, and worries, and askew states, and just drownding in their own personal bubble of happiness...at least for that moment.

**Special shout to fuckawesome new reviewer Puckleberry3 I LUV YA! lol, now REVIEW REVEIW REVIEW! People...and I might just give you the real thing... :)**


	20. Jackpot!

**A/N Ok, so I just went and saw batman Dark Knight Rises last night...and I haven't slept in a dangerously long time...and I may or may not be fucking hungover. I still wanted to give you this chapter. For those of you who aren't comic book nerds (like me *cyber wink*) the reference in the end of this chapter is a famous like from the old spider man comics from Peter Parker's (spider man's) future girlfriend Mary Jane Watson (M.J.). Sooo I hope you like it...here it issss...**

Rachel Berry stood under the hot, relentless, pounding of the shower water on her back, and slowly rubbed handfulls of luxuriously scented vanilla body wash up and down her arms and stomach, over her breasts, massaging her shoulders and neck. She inhaled deeply, trying to drown out the swirling feelings of confusion and self doubt that were beginning to cause a serious headache.

She washed her hair...conditioned it twice, and made sure to shave every available part of her body that required it. Then, after the water had begun to run cold, Rachel turned the faucet, and stepped out onto the soft, shaggy pink rug. She shuddered slightly, and it had nothing to do with the slight chill she felt as the cool air hit her shower slicked skin, and remembered Puck kneeling on the rug as he carefully tended to her arm and hands.

She wrapped a towel around her head as she approached the mirror, and making sure the door was shut, allowed her towel to drop, so she could rub the similarly scented lotion she had received in a set with the body wash all over her body. Leaning into the mirror, she examined her face, almost surprised at how little difference there was to the face that had stared at her this morning from this same mirror.

What was different from this morning?

Oh, just that she had made a type of love with Noah Puckerman and now she was drowning in her own insecurities an self doubts over whether or not he would still want her. After all...she wasn't in charge of things anymore. The metaphorical ball wasn't in her court, and the headache increased to the level of migraine as she wondered if Puck would make the next move.

She remembered how they had body lain in the floor until they heard the bell ring, and how Puck had insisted on driving her home, letting her car sit in the school parking lot overnight.

Of course, that also meant that he was obligated to pick her up the next morning, something he was only to happy to do. Only, now, Rachel wondered where they were. In their relationship that was.

She grabbed a bottle of Tylenol from the cabinets, and swallowed several of the small, white pills, with a sip from the pink ceramic cup that sat on her bathroom sink. She decided against drying her hair as she usually would, and just allowed to to dry naturally, something that would inevitable cause huge and unruly curls to dominate her head, and even this fact didn't bother her as much as it should have.

She exited the bathroom, still naked, and noted (for the first time) that she had very little sense of modesty. It wasn't as if she dressed in any suggestive manner (besides her skirts, which for some reason {ironic as it was} Santana seemed to point out at every available time), she simply didn't recognize society's taboo on a person's (particularly girl's) body.

After all, it was just an envelope for the soul of the person inside, and Rachel for one, was particularly proud of what good shape she kept her "envelope" in. If only for the sake of her future and inevitable career as a star, and a star required a perfect body to accompany and support their talent.

Considering that both her father's were gone for at least one more night (maybe more depending on how well things went) Rachel found no reason to cook a real supper, and after throwing on a large hoodie and pair of soft sweatpants, headed downstairs to microwave a bag of steam-able vegetables in a vegan sauce.

Several minutes later, she carried her bowl of instant veggies into the living room, and flipped on the television, not even bothering to put in a dvd (her usual alone-time cinematic fare) and realized that cable was a very unreliable source of entertainment, considering as how there wasn't anything she could even _think_ of watching, much less enjoying.

She then turned it off, ignoring how empty and creepy her house felt, and reached out to the coffee table, grabbing her old, favored, and much used copy of the secret garden. Somewhere during the middle of novel, Rachel's eyelids began to droop, and before she realized that she hadn't locked the doors, or closed the shades, Rachel Berry was asleep.

* * *

Noah Puckerman was one happy fuck.

At the moment, he was trying to ignore the little devil Puck telling him that he was a pussy, and instead, he was listening to little Angel Puck, telling him that today he had been a great guy.

Ok, so maybe he hadn't gotten laid today...but fuck! He had gotten Rachel Berry off. In the auditorium. AT SCHOOL!

He lay back on his bed, reveling in what an absolute boss he was, and thought of how she had squirmed beneath him. Then, suddenly, his mind flashed back to their parting moment, where she had stepped out of his car with a few words he didn't catch through his horny-teenage-boy haze.

_"I'll be fine, My dad's are on a business trip and won't be home for a few more days."_

Puck tensed.

_A few fucking days!_

Before he could dwell on how lucky he was that he had happened to bag the only girl in the whole high school who spent most of her time alone at her house (instant boner), he realized that it was dark already, and his girl was by herself all alone in a big ole' drafty house.

Instead of being turned on by this *courtesy of red devil Puck*, He was instantly cautious and worried. Jumping out of bed, and grabbing a hoodie on his way down the stairs, Puck barreled towards the front door, nearly running smack dab into his mother who was currently on her way up said stairs.

"Noah!"

Her voice was shrill.

"Where do you think you're going this time of night?"

Puck's eyebrows raised, and he glanced over at the clock which read 8:00. A million different lies and excuses he had stockpiled for nights such as these, nights when he wanted to get out from under the massive thumb that belonged to his loving mother, they all flew out of his mind, and he found (to his great horror) that he was blurting out the truth. Albeit, it all sounded like one word coming out so fast.

"Mom! There' ."

His mom blinked several times before she digested what her son had just blurted out. And if Puck thought her voice was shrill before...

"Noah! How dare you not make sure that girl was ok earlier! You have to go over there right now and make sure she got home safe! You hear me?"

But before the last word was even out of her mouth, Puck was pushing past her and running out the front door with a,

"Yes Ma'am!"

Somewhere about 20 minutes later, Puck was parked outside Rachel's house, trying not to feel like a creepy stalker, as he turned the ignition off and jumped out of his truck.

All the lights were on, but there didn't seem to be any movement in the house, and Puck's heart nearly stopped when he noticed the front door wasn't all the way closed.

In an action that was eerily similar to those of the previous day's, Puck barged into the house, not bothering to knock, Practically yelling Rachel's name.

"Rachel! Rach baby! You here?"

He ran directly up the stairs, completely bypassing the family room beneath, and towards Rachel's room. He flung open the door, and the feeling of panic he was experiencing increased exponentially as he realized that she was absent from her room as well.

After frantically searching the other upstairs bedrooms, he ran back down the stairs, movements sloppy and quick, much to hurried to notice the tiny, aggressive (read: scared shitless) Jew, waiting for her unknown intruder with a baseball bat.

_Thump!_

And down he went.

"Fuck!"

He tumbled down the stairs, reeling from the pitifully executed, but still quite painful whack, he had just received directly to the stomach.

"Noah!"

Rachel's scream was raised at the end, sounding almost like a question, as she realized just who her intruder had been.

Her stomach turned at the sight of her huge, overprotective, ridiculously stupid football player, crumpled on the floor at the foot of the staircase. Just before she could burst into a round of Emmy nomination worthy tears, and call 911, Puck groaned beneath her, rolling over onto his back to face her, arms still clutching his stomach as he began to cough.

"Damn Berry!"

Another groan, followed by Rachel falling to her knees beside him in a fit of tears and apologies.

"Whadja think I was? A Fucking Burglar?"

She nodded vehemently, unable to speak at the moment, and leaned over to hug his chest, burying her face in the crook between his neck and head. She raised up then, to assess the damage as it were. And leaned over him to examine every area of visible skin, before lowering her gaze to his abdomen, raising his shirt gently to look at the damage to his ribs.

She tried her hardest to ignore the deep crevices formed by his hardened muscles, and instead focused on the ugly bruising that was starting to appear (thank God) directly below his ribs.

He moaned again, although this time less loudly, and said,

"I'm fine. Shit! I just wasn't expecting a bat to the stomach for my troubles."

Rachel turned her concerned gaze back to his face, her eyes shooting a dangerous warning.

"Your troubles?"

_Uh Oh..._

"You broke into my house while I was asleep. Ran upstairs, making enough noise to wake the neighbors, then it's my fault for defending myself?"

Her voice was incredulous, and Puck thought for a moment about her actions, about what they would accomplish had he really been a robber, murderer, rapist, or otherwise, and decided that if it meant his girl could take care of herself, he wasn't going to put up a fit.

Even despite the intense aching pain he felt at the slightest tensing of his stomach muscles. Muscles he hadn't missed Rachel admiring not moments ago. Then, shaking his head to clear his less than pristine thoughts, he replied,

"You're right Rach. I shoulda called or some shit. I s'just worried bout ya."

She let out a little sigh, and sat back on her heels, unconsciously stroking the thick strip of hair on Puck's head with her left hand.

"Thank you for your concern Noah. But in the future, another, much more sensible option of checking for my safety, would be to call before hand, or if all else fails...**knock!"**

"Sure thing Rach."

She groaned a little bit, standing to stretch her arms back, and Puck's eyes nearly popped out of his skull at the sight before him. Her shoulders twisted almost unnaturally, and her nipples (seeing as how she wasn't wearing a bra {Score!}) poked at the thin fabric of her ratty tee-shirt.

"Shit! Rachel...What the fuck are you doing?"

His voice was strained, though this time, from a whole other source of discomfort that the pain in his torso.

"Stretching Noah? What does it look like."

He moved his hand to motion to her body, then groaned and let it drop at the pain it produced. Then went on to say,

"That's some fucked up stretching! Looks like your about to break your fuckin bones."

His voice was tense, anxious even, but Rachel just laughed.

"Oh Noah! That's not even slightly unnatural for me, another one of the great advantages I hold over my peers, and competition alike for a Broadway career, is that I'm double jointed."

Mouth dry. Jaw drop. Eyes pop.

_Double fucking jointed!_

Ok, if he had even been a comic book nerd (which he wasn't! And he would pound anyone's face who said other wise) He would be hearing a very specific phrase in his mind at this very moment.

_**"Face it Tiger. You just hit the Jackpot."**_

And even though Rachel wasn't a ginger (although let's face it, M.J. was one sexy ass ginger), and Puck sure as hell wasn't any pussy ass spider monkey...he felt like he had just entered his own private heaven. Complete with his very own Mary Jane.

**Ok...So for all my lovely reviewers WE'VE REACHED 200  REVIEWS_ WHOO HOOOOOO lol,_**

** you're all fuckawesome! Anddd, for any and all of you who came out at midnight and watched batman last night (there's got to be SOMEONE) lol, leave a review of what you thought of it, and I'll give you a shoutout! lol, probably not that great of incentive...but remember, no . (gimme a break) but either way...**

**REVIEW! REVIEW! REVIEW!  
**


	21. Possession?

**A/N I'm sorry it took so long to get this up. I'm uploading it today and apologizing in advance because I'll be out of town this week and unable to access a computer and It'll be a week till you get another chapter. Well, I hope you llike this chapter, I'm starting to build towards the final conflict, and then hopefully, the resolution. Here it is...**

Puck winced slightly as he slipped his shirt off, still feeling the effects of Rachel Berry's impressive slug to his gut, as he stepped into the locker room showers, ready to wash off the sweat and grime that covered him after a particularly hard football practice.

The bruising was fading now, but it was still visible, and only sligtly less painful that it had been the previous day, lying on the floor of the Berry's house. He remembered how (after several much needed minutes of recovering from the unexpected blow he recieved from hit crazy hot little Jew) Rachel had offered to help him up, failed miserably at trying to support his weight, and instead, followed behind him as she led him into the kitchen to eat some freaky vegan coconut popsicles.

It had nearly been Puck's undoing, watching the long white frozen treat slide in and out of Rachel's full lips, and even more devestating to the already strained condition of his jean zipper when he realized just how far that particular suggestively shaped food was dissapearing down her throat...so he couldn't help asking something that he would never forget the answer to

_*flashback*_

_"Rach what the hell!"_

_She blinked several times, and slowly drew the sweet, dripping object out of her mouth, completely oblivious as to how her seemingly innocent gesture drew that attention of her ever so perverted companion._

_"Noah?"_

_His name was a question, and he answered by waving his hand in front of the popsicle she held, ignoring the fact that it was beginning to melt on the counter._

_"That whole thing dissapears in your mouth!"_

_He had to clench one of his fists to keep from calling "that's what she said" on himself. He then continued._

_"That's just not natural!"_

_Rachel's eyes flicked down the the dripping icesicle she held, drawing it back to her mouth for one more torturously suggestive sucking, then replied._

_"It's natural for me."_

_Puck just lifted his eyebrows, to confused (turned on) to accuratly voice his question. Thankfully, he happened to be sitting with one of the word savviest girls in all of lima ohio (or the world) and she knew exactly what the non-verbal jock in front of her meant to ask. _

_"Well, I guess since I don't seem to have a gag reflex of any sort, I don't notice when it hits the back of my throat."_

_That was it. She had done it. _

_Noah's mind filled with dozens of filthy images, none of which were suitable to voice at this time, and in a strained voice, Noah excused himself with some bull-shit lie about having to baby sit his sister._

_Rachel acquiesed in a confused tone of voice, and was even more suprised when he didn't even hug her goodbye before he was out the door and in his car driving away._

_Little did she know that Noah stopped about 2 blocks from her house, parked on the curb, shut off the engine, and relieved his little (Read: REALLY BIG) problem, that had been caused by an oblivious (and ever so talented) Rachel Berry._

_*end flashback*_

Noah felt his dick twitch at the memory, and instantly thought of his cool off picture (his mom in bed with a trucker {a sight that a very unsuspecting 8 year old Noah would never be able to un-see}) and sighed in relief as he felt himself 'deflate'.

Then, he heart the loud and callous voices of two of his teammates talking, probably just having entered from outside, and obviously unaware that Puck was within hearing distance. At his words he felt his muscles clench.

"Dude,"

This from Karofsky,

"Did you see Puckerman's bruises earlier?"

The voice that replied belonged to some sophmore named Steve, (stupid little shit that thought he was 50 lbs heavier than he really was and tried to tackle Puck during practice, thinking he had succeeded when he hit the bruises and his larger teammate went down like a sack of flour)

"Yeah, looked pretty nasty, wonder where they came from?"

It was then that Karofsky's noticable harsh laugh rang out, and he said through his chuckles,

"I heard him telling coach it was Berry and her baseball bat."

Puck tensed even further, deeply regretting telling Coah the truth, and preparing himself for the insults that were sure to come.

"Haha! Damn! That Berry chick really is fucking crazy! Wonder if he's banging her? That tight little body's probably the only thing about her that's not fucked up. I actually think I feel sorry for Puckerman, she's got him so whipped- "

It was then that they both rounded the corner and came face to face with a very intimidating, despite the bruising, and very pissed off Puck. A deep growl had built up in his chest at their mention of Rachel, and released itself as he saw their stupid expressions of ammusement as they took in his presence.

Karofsky appeared to be tongue tied, while Steve (ever so _fucking_ confident) managed to stutter out a half-assed apology.

"H-Hey man. You know we were just messin around...I mean, every one knows Berry's sorta crazy...we didn't mean anything by..."

But even Steve's confidence failed him as he watched Puck's unchanging, unblinking even, expression of rage, and some other, much fiecer, emotion swirling beneath it. Then, He spoke.

"So..."

His voice was low and dangerous.

"You guys have the gall,"

(_Totally Rachel's word_)

"To make fun of _my _girl?"

Neither of the boys had anything to say, and their adam's apples bobbed almost in unison as the both swallowed heavily. But Puck continued, his voice only slightly less intimidating, as a scornful amusement entered his tone.

"Probably the _only_ girl in all of Ohio with two liberal gay dads, who let her have the house alone to herself overnight, who isn't in the _fucking celibacy club?"_

Both their eyes widened, both with suprise and not a small ammount of jealously at this newly revealed information, but Puck just couldn't stop while he was ahead. He had to _really_ rub it in just how stupid they all had been.

"The only girl who happens to be both _double jointed_ and lacking a fucking _gag reflex_?"

He placed emphasis on both these points, and almsot regretted telling them as he watched both their eyes glaze over with lust, and Steve's acne plagued jaw drop. But no...Puck wasn't one to simply rub it in...he had to finish the deal too.

"The 'crazy ass hot jew'"

(he was quoting his team mate's previous description of Rachel)

"Who had all these things...and also happens to be a _fucking hot virgin!"_

By now, Puck's voice was filled with incredulous scorn, and he hadn't even realized that the rest of the team (minus Finn and several others) had filtered in, and were all listening with rapt attention to Puck's startling and shocking description of Rachel Berry.

"So sure _Steve_"

He said the word with the same level of disgust that most used for the words 'shit pile'.

"You can feel fucking sorry for me...because yeah, Rachel Berry had me whipped."

And with that, Puck shut off the hot water, grabbed at his towel, and left the showers. It wasn't until he reached his locker and heard that low, rumbling, murmurs that began to fill the locker room, what a mistake he had made.

As he grabbed his phone, checking the time, he groaned as he realized that Rachel's 'meeting' with Jesse was the next day, that was when he heard it.

"Who knew?"  
"That's fucking hot man!"  
"Always knew she was a secret freak under those sweaters and skirts."  
"Lucky bastard."

And Puck knew he was fucked. Not only did he have to deal with that little shit Jesse having something to hold over his girl's head, but he had just inadverantly blew the lid right off the fucking sexy secret sex godess, that was Rachel Berry.

And fuck him if he wasn't in a world of trouble.

* * *

Rachel felt a very unusual and prickling sensation on the back of her neck, and even more unsettling, on other parts of her anatomy, neither of which were particularly pleasant.

Today, she had woken up in an extraordinarily good mood, that was, until she had glanced over at her special order calendar with stills from all her favorite Broadway plays, and realized that her 'date' with Jesse was drawing all the more near.

In an effort to shake the queasiness from her stomach, and instill in herself a confidence that had been dwindling since all the baby drama, Rachel had taken extra care with her appearance this morning.

Rachel had always wondered at the lax-ness of Mckinley High dress code, but today, she seemed to be taking advantage of it. She wore a loose fitting white tank top that practically glowed against her dark summer tan. Her skirt, as usual, was short, but today, she had chosen a denim number she hadn't even realized she owned, and was quite happy with the 'laid back' summery feel the outfit had.

She had also chosen to throw her long, dark, thick chestnut hair, up into a loose bun, with careless wisps flowing around her face, pulling the entire outfit together, in a decidedly un-Rachel Berry like fashion.

Although at the moment, Rachel was regretting her outfit choice, as she heard the murmurings grow to a crescendo, and a loud wolf whistle ring out as she nearly ran into the tell-tale lettermen jacket clothed form of one of Mckinley's resident Jocks, and he grabbed her hips, saying

"Damn Berry! If only I knew those things about you before Puckerman..."

His voice trailed off as he leered at her decidedly sensual form, and she yanked her body away from his just in time to fall back into another, much firmer, wall of letterman clothed jock. Only this time, he wasn't accosting her, he was Puck. And he was pissed.

"What exactly were you saying to my girl Whittman?"

The jock's confidence faltered for a moment, before he managed to stutter out some sort of apology and turn the other way. Rachel turned to face Puck, and was nearly undone by the entirely foreign look of Rage, soon replaced by abashed guilt upon seeing her,that was currently on his face.

"Noah! You own me an explanation for the events that just occurred!"

Not knowing exactly how to handle Rachel like this, he pulled her into the nearest room (just so happened to be a closet) and slammed the door shut, saying,

"I'm sorry! You're gonna freak out, and I'm already fucked, but I'm just telling you first that I"m really fucking sorry!"

Rachel's eyebrows rose in a challenge, and Puck knew exactly what she was asking.

"I kinda sorta maybe a little bit bragged about you to the guys in the locker room and-"

He was cut off by Rachel's sharp intake of breath, and the tears that rapidly her eyes. Her voice cracked as she asked her next question.

"Y- You told them about us?"

It took Puck a moment before he realized what Rachel was really asking, and then he understood what he previously thought to be her overreaction.

"Wha- No! Fuck No! Shit Rachel, I wouldn't do that!"

He didn't realize just how hard his hands had clamped down on her hips, and neither did she obviously, because all she did was begin to sob. Puck was confused. Hadn't he just told her that he hadn't told the guys about what they...did?

"Wh- Why are you crying then?"

Rachel managed a shuddering laugh, and this threw Puck into more mental mayhem, as he tried futilely to understand the way this crazy Jew's mind worked.

"I-I'm crying in relief."

She sucked in a hiccuping sob, and continued.

"I was just horrified for a moment that you had told the whole football team about what we did yesterday, and how it would make people think of me...I wouldn't just be crazy, they'd think I was a slut too."

On the last word, Rachel's voice cracked, and she lapsed back into her adorable Sobs(Fuck him if he was ever gonna admit he found Rachel Berry's sobs 'adorable'). Puck just drew his arms around her and began to gently stroke her hair. He felt awkward. Never ,before dating Rachel, had Puck been very into the whole pussy-ass girly comforting thing, but with Rachel it just felt right.

After her sobs subsided, Puck pulled back, viewing her face in all it's puffy eyed, runny nose, fucking beautiful state.

"Rachel...Darlin'?"

She whimpered and let her face fall foward, back into the soft comforting hiding place the front of his shirt offered, taking comfort in the steady (albiet more eratic at this moment) beating of his heart.

"You know I love you right?"

Rachel had heard him say it before, she had replied in kind. But for some reason, here, now, on his turf, _school, _It just sounded all the more beautiful. She wrapped her arms tightly around him, and murmered back.

"I love you too Noah..."

And right then, for the next few moments, it was perfect. Thing about perfection is...It can never exist for too long without something disrupting it...and that something just happened to go by the name Jesse St. James.

* * *

_Friday _

"No Noah!"

Rachel's shrill voice echoed off the walls in all her previous drama queen glory. The term previous was pertinent considering just what a radical change of temperment had come about in Rachel ever since Noah had become her boyfriend.

Still, there was no relenting in this moment, and Rachel's irritation paled comically in comparison to Noah's furious next words.

"No Rachel! Fucking No!"

They were filing out of the crowded halls with the rest of the students from Glee, and as they crossed the threshold and began their walk out towards the parking lot, towards Noah's truck, Noah felt more free to raise his voice louder than it had previously been, seeing as how they were further away from prying ears. *couch* Kurt *couch* Mercedes.

"There's no way in Fucking hell you're going to meet that Prick alone!"

He grabbed at her arm but she wrenched it away before he could solidify his hold.

"You don't own me Noah Puckerman!"

She punctuated her shrill decliration with a thump to his chest, and even though it was barely noticable to the large hunk of muscle standing and breathing heavily in front of her, it still filled her with all kinds of righteous indignation.

Then, before Rachel could spin on her heal and commence the very dramatic opening of the truck door, throwing herself into the old truck with all the pomp and verve the situation called for, she was thrown roughly against the side of the truck, and found Noah's body pressed firmly against her own.

One of his hands (much larger than her own) was pinning her right arm, the one closest to the door, against the truck, and his other hand traced down her face, tangling in her hair with a gentle reverance that belied his rough actions. His voice was strained and tight through his gritted teeth as he leaned ever nearer, and spoke directly into her face.

"Yes. I. Do."

Her mind went blank for a moment, a previously unheard of event in Rachel-Land, and she struggled against her body's reaction to Noah's sinfully sensual tone. But before she could reply, Noah cut off her indignant splutters by pressing even tighter against her, allowing her to feel the prominant arousal that she could always evoke in him, and continued.

"Babe...I come with a clusterfuck of baggage, and you're with me knowing all that."

She didn't know exactly where he was going with all this...she didn't know much of anything really at this moment, besides that is, her body's natural desire to just let him take her right here in the damn parking lot.

"Part of that baggage is that I'm one over-protective possessive bastard, and you could sure as hell use it with the type of attention you seem to draw at this school."

Blood rushed up her chest and into her cheeks at his words, reminding her of just how the male population at Mckinley high had been regarding her the past few days, and she lowered her gaze. But, Noah's hand pushed her chin back up, in a manner as firm as it was fond, and kept her there by running the pad of his thumb along the soft skin there.

"So you may not think I own you. But you sure as hell own me, and that being the case, it's only fair if I own you too, right?"

His voice was gentler, although not lacking it's inherent sensual edge, and persuasive all at the same time. Rachel found that to her horror, her hand was nodding gently against his loosened restraint, and tried not to melt as a hot fierce emotion that rang with approval filled his silver-green eyes.

"Good girl."

This time his voice was merely a growl, barely understandable against her lips, which was where his mouth was now presiding. Then, before Rachel could voice any of the thoughts that had filled her mind while she had been otherwise contained, Puck descended upon her for a bruising kiss.

His body pressed against hers, his upper thigh placed between her legs, rubbing up and down eliciting soft mewled and little pants as he effectively kissed her senseless.

The drive home was short and silent, filled with the tension of Puck's demand that Rachel either ditch Jesse or allow him to accompany her.

When he dropped her off, his parting kiss was sweeter, although not without it's own share of restrained passion (a commodity that seemed to be growing between the two of them lately {a situation Puck was eager to appease}), and Puck murmured before she left.

"You know it's because I love you ... right?"

His eyes were repentant, but his posture told her that his previous words weren't revoked.

"I know."

Her words were soft, almost a sigh as she slipped out of the truck and hopped to the ground. He waited till she was inside to drive off, and Rachel breathed a sigh of relief when his truck passed out of her view. She reached for her phone and shot Jesse a quick text contining Puck's terms.

Much quicker than she though she recieved an answer.

_You come alone or you'll never meet mommy  
~J_

Rachel felt the frustration that had been building in her since Jesse's first text reach a peak as she read, then re-read, his short spiteful message. Rachel felt removed from her body, almost like an outsider looking in, as she watched herself release a piercing scream/shriek and throw her phone at the wall with all her pent up rage, feeling little release as she watched the little piece of pink plastic shatter against the beige painted wall.

**Gosh darn it Already! You guy's know what to do. REVIEW REVIEW REVIEW! Or I'll make it two weeks till the next chapter! lol, please just review and tell me how you want the Rachel Jesse date to go, I'm definitely up for suggestions. **


	22. The Meetingand what comes after

**I know...I know. I've been gone forever, "is she dead?" "Is she one of those bitchy writers who start a story and abandon it when they get bored?"**

**No to both, I'm glad to say, I'm simply coming back into a sense of normalcy because *drumroll ladies and gentlemen* I'VE BEEN ADOPTED! Whoo Hoo! lol, but along with this lovliness comes court dates, yelling, fighting, lots of legal shit, and the confiscation of my pretty pretty little computer by crazy-as-shit foster parents. **

**But , rest assured, I plan on picking this story back up and giving any remaining readers the ending they deserve. Once again, I'm sooooo damn sorry about the wait, but hey, fuck it, I'm happy!**

* * *

Puck sat in his truck, feeling more cramped, pissed, and anxious by the moment, as he watched Rachel's decidedly small form enter Breadstix. Even knowing all along that this was her plan, he felt his knuckles flex white against his skin as his fists clenched in on themselves. He fought every natural urge he was feeling to rush in there guns blazing and show that Jesse shit just what it meant to mess with _his _girl, but he knew, somewhere (very) deep down, that this was what Rachel needed to do.

Meanwhile...

* * *

Jesse St. James felt very much like_ the man_ at the moment.

In a very sinister and movie villan-esqe way, Jesse was surveying the very admirable form of a pissed off Rachel Berry standing directly before him with a less than friendly expression on her face...he would have to do something to change that.

"I'm glad you came."

His voice was smug and he did nothing to hide it as he watched the look on her face go from pissed to downright furious.

"Well that makes one of us."

Her tone was tart, and it only furthered the annoyingly obnoxious grin that was spreading across his face. He felt a buzzing sensation in his stomach that was similar to the high he received at applause, and he knew it was only a side effect to holding such an immense amount of power over someone like Rachel Berry.

"Won't you sit down."

Jesse motioned towards the leather covered booth at Breadstix in a sweeping gesture, and Rachel stiffly obliged.

Meanwhile, Jesse lounged on his side, eyeing Rachel with measured satisfaction, daring her to make the first move. Of course, Rachel couldn't help but rise to the occasion, it was in her nature.

"Let's cut to the point St. James."

Jesse stifled a surprised snort at her spiteful abbreviation of his name, and raised his eyebrows in question.

"You have information about my mother, or so you have led me to believe, and the only reason I came here tonight was to acquire that information. If your only intent is to string me along on some sort of sick goose chase, I would politely tell you to _fuck off_ and please quit wasting my time."

Jesse felt a small shock at the sound of Rachel cussing, and didn't even try denying how hot it was, even if it did bother him that she surely learned it from that testosterone pumped, over aggressive, ogre that she called a boyfriend.

Nevertheless, Jesse, of all people, couldn't let this recent development throw him off game.

"Oh Rachel, If I simply wanted to "_fuck with you' _as you so eloquently put it, then I could come up with much more interesting ways to go about that."

Rachel didn't try to hide the shiver than ran through her frame at his crude explicit statement, very much missing the preppy, albeit very plastic and fake, boy she had first met in that record store.

Unfortunately, Jesse either missed or entirely looked over Rachel's non-verbal sign of disgust, and continued on his rather disturbing line of thought.

"But no, I certainly do have information on your mother, and I am very much ready and willing to give it to you..."

his voice trailed off for a moment as he suggestively raised his eyebrows...sliding his hand out from under the table, and placing a small, sleek, square of black plastic on the table.

Rachel's hand reached out for it, but Jesse swiftly snatched it back.

"Uh uh uh..."

His tone was taunting, causing an un-familiar swell of rage bubble up withing her.

"First, you are going to sit through this dinner with me and act civil."

Rachel gritted her teeth at his grating tone, and tried to keep the biting words circling her mind from escaping her tightly pressed lips.

"Fine."

Jesse grinned wider, and it was beginning to remind Rachel of the Cheshire cat, before he responded.

"There we go..."

_90 minutes later_

Rachel couldn't believe it...She was actually enjoying herself!

It wasn't as if there was anything she particularly enjoyed about Jesse's personality, despite Puck's overconfidence, he had never been as self obsessed as Jesse. Nevertheless, there was no one so far that Rachel had met, that knew as much about Broadway, the performing arts, and show music itself as she did. Not until Jesse at least, and she had to admit to herself that she found it very relaxing to be herself completely, and not worry about annoying or losing the other person in her sometimes erratic, and always complicated train of thought.

As she scooped up the last of her vegan cake, Rachel noted with a small amount of satisfaction that she had successfully made it through a dinner with Jesse, and was now due her reward.

As if reading her mind, Jesse caused the little black box to once again appear on the table, and Rachel noted that it seemed to be a cassette tape with writing on the front. She caught her breath as she imagined the many possibilities that this tape could present, and this time, when she tried to grab it from Jesse's hand, he didn't resist.

Instead, he leaned back with an infurriatingly smug grin, as he watched her practically run out of the restaurant, knowing that as soon as she listened to what was on the tape she would't be able to resist coming back for more.

* * *

Ok, this was it, Puck swung open his door and came dangerously close to hitting the small blur of brown hair and plaid fabric that ran towards him, practically vibrating with excited energy as she clutched a smell, vaguely rectangle shaped box in her hands.

"What's t-"

And before the words had even left his mouth her own words were running roughshod over them with the manic exuberance only Rachel Berry possessed.

"Jesse-had-a-tape-from-my-mother-to-me-and-I-had-to-eat-dinner-with-him-but-it-wasn't-really-that-bad!"

It took a couple of seconds for Puck's mind to unscramble the frantic gibberish that had just left his girlfriends (and fuck him if that wasn't the greatest thing ever) mouth, but when he did, a sick sense of foreboding washed over him instead of the excitement that Rachel expected.

"What's wrong?"

Rachel's gently phrased question was tinged with irritation at Puck's unexpected lack of a response.

"Nuthin babe..."

Puck's words were low, almost a growl, as he watched the slim dark figure of Jesse st. James approach from behind Rachel.

Pushing her small form behind his own protectively Puck glowered at Jesse, practically daring the cocky little shit to provoke him. Jesse took all this in stride though, not missing a beat as he walked past them to his car. His voice was smooth as he tossed back from over his shoulder.

"Tonight was great Rachel, I look foward to next time."

Ok, so maybe Jesse was better at this staying cool thing than Puck, because the words were out of his mouth, each one bitten out like an explitive, before Jesse was even finished talking.

"There's not gonna be a next time you little-"

He was cut off however, by Jesse's calm and collected.

"After you hear than tape Rach, you're gonna want more, and I'm the only one that has it."

And with that, Jessie was in his car. Starting said car. And driving much to fast from the darkening parking lot of breadstiks.

* * *

**So, whadja thing? did it suck? have I lost my touch? Are you guys even still out there? lol, PLEASE PLEASE PLEASE review, I'd love to hear your thoughts, ideas, suggestions? ILY all! **


End file.
